Demands of Fate
by ScarletSecrets1234
Summary: Serena Solo never expected to be anything more than a smuggler, content to work alongside her brother, Han, and longtime friend, Chewbacca, as they traveled the galaxy. However, when a Jedi and a farm boy enter her life, she realizes her expectations were far from reality. Luke/OC. Follows "A New Hope" with some AU thrown in. Part 1 of 3. COMPLETE.
1. Just Another Job

_Note: T__his story was mostly inspired by BluJeanBaby526's_ Life as a Smuggler's Sister _(If you haven't read it yet, do so. I highly recommend it. It's in my favorites.)_ _Hope you enjoy!_

_Edit: Yes, I fixed some of the embarrassing typos in this chapter and the terrible descriptions. Hope this is a little better, but I didn't change as much in this chapter as I did in the second one :P_

_Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars. I own Serena._

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Just Another Job<strong>

Tatooine, a blazing hot world filled with scum... or at least that was what Serena Solo thought as she walked through Mos Eisley, with sweat trickling down her face.

_Why did Han want to come here again?_ She thought bitterly, wiping the irritating sweat from her brow once again. That seemed to be the only thing she was doing as she waited for her brother.

She glanced around, never pausing to stare at any of the locals. She had learned her lesson the hard way, when one of them pinned her to the wall with a blaster to her head and then accused her of staring. She attempted to fight back but the man was much stronger than she. Only through the intervention of her brother was she able to escape unscathed. She learned quickly from the incident, and was determined not to make the same foolish mistake again.

The eighteen year old pushed pieces of her brown hair out of her face that had fallen loose out of her pony tail and continued to watch the cantina door. Han really was too paranoid. He had expected Jabba to send someone after them for losing the cargo on their last smuggling run. Serena had scoffed at that and said that slimy Hutt couldn't care less about one little incident. Han was usually good with keeping his shipments. He couldn't control the Imperial patrol routes. If he could, _then_ Jabba would have had the right to be upset. Besides, the greedy gangster had other smugglers who would be certain to deliver him their cargo. He'd barely lost any money with them anyway; it was only a small shipment. There couldn't have been anything of importance in the cargo, and she was determined to forget the whole issue.

She watched for what seemed like hours. Nobody of any significance had entered the cantina, though the most interesting group so far was an old man, a boy around her age, and two droids. She watched them enter the cantina and listened to their conversation. They needed a ship and Han would be quite excited to hear that. He was anxious to pay back the Hutt and get the gangster off his back, and transportation would be a quick and easy job. The group entered the cantina, but the two droids returned outside, and she realized the owner must have had a non-droid policy.

She watched the golden droid with amusement. He was a bit of a whiner, and complained about the simplest of things. She had to admit he was entertaining, even though she was certain he wasn't trying to be. The smaller droid whom the golden one called R2-D2 beeped, whirred, and buzzed. Serena couldn't understand a word of it, and eventually tuned them out when she lost interest. The conversation between the droids didn't stay interesting for long, because the golden one started to complain that the heat was going to damage his circuitry. This was where Serena lost interest; she was terrible with repairs and didn't even have any desire to learn about it, and so she ignored the rest of their conversation. She didn't even notice when they both left the area until she looked once more only to find they had disappeared.

It remained peaceful, and Serena sighed. It really wasn't fair that Han got to sit in the comfortable cantina while she sweated out here under Tatooine's blazing suns, "Though this wouldn't be the first time I got the raw end of the deal," she muttered bitterly, wiping her forehead with her hand. She loved her brother, really, but sometimes he was so frustrating. She opened her canteen and pressed it to her lips, savoring the taste of the water replenishing her energy. She almost whined when the last of her water trickled down her throat. Han had better hurry up, or she'd just get up and leave. Han could handle the little threats, and Serena wasn't about to dehydrate while she waited for - what she believed, at least - to be nothing.

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><p><em>I'd kill for some water.<em>She thought after about ten minutes had gone by. She'd attempted to retreat in the shade to escape some of the sweltering heat, but even in the shade she still felt the heat. _Nothing's happening. I guess I'll just go back to -_

While she was lost in her thoughts, she caught sight of a familiar-looking Rodian enter the cantina. She felt her heart skip a beat and she grabbed her blaster.

"Damn it," She hissed when she realized Greedo had already entered the cantina.

Greedo was one of Jabba's 'bounty hunters', though he wasn't a very good one. Still, if Han was caught unprepared then Greedo might get lucky and take him out. She couldn't let that happen; Serena contacted him on her portable comm unit, "Han, Greedo's comin' your way."

"Right. I'll be ready. Go and help Chewie prep the ship." Her brother responded, and ended the communication. She tried to object, but Han refused to answer her.

_I didn't even get a 'thank you'._

She huffed, and, just as she was about to sit back down, she saw Chewbacca leaving the cantina, presumably to go prep the _Falcon_ for launch. She ran up to him.

"Chewie!" She called, and the wookiee roared at her in acknowledgment, "Y'know, Greedo just walked in. Han might be in trouble."

"_Greedo is weak. Your brother should have no trouble defeating him."_ He responded. Chewbacca had a very high opinion of Han, though anyone who had a wookiee owe them a life-debt was a pretty significant person. Life-debts weren't given out easily. She hoped he was right, though if Jabba sent Greedo of all people, Han would most likely make it out without so much as a scratch.

They walked in companionable silence and finally arrived at Han's pride and joy _The Millennium Falcon_. Her brother worshipped the ship, he never let anyone who he didn't trust so much as look at her without watching them carefully.

She rolled her eyes at the memory. Han was so strange sometimes.

Chewbacca dutifully prepped the ship and fixed a few things up. Serena tried to help, but she was pretty inept when it came to understanding ships. She couldn't fly them well, and she couldn't repair them to save her life, no matter how much Han tried to teach her; she just couldn't grasp the concept. She left that to Han and Chewie. So, because Chewie was understanding of her ineptitude, he just had her grab some tools for him, or hand him something he couldn't reach while he worked on the ship. The arrangement suited them just fine.

"_Wait here, Serena. I should check on Han."_ Chewbacca said after he had finished with his repairs. She just nodded and watched the wookiee walk away.

She sat in her seat in the cockpit, drank a bit of water, and waited. She was grateful to get out of sun and into the cool ship; Serena stretched out her legs, and waited for either Chewie or her brother to return. As she stretched out her legs, she debated whether it would be worth it to hop into the 'fresher for a quick shower. She would love to wash off all the sweat, but figured that - if Han was going to bring guests over - it would be a little embarrassing to just be getting out of the refresher as people she didn't know entered the ship.

She at least would try to make herself presentable, and tried to wash her face and cool off. She took the time to examine her reflection. She was pretty with brown eyes and brown hair that extended to her mid back, when it wasn't pulled up into a pony tail. Her skin, usually mildly pale, had tanned, and even slightly burned under the harsh twin sun's glare.

"_Solo_!" The call startled her and she glanced out the window to see who was calling. She saw Jabba the Hutt, standing outside the _Falcon_ with an entourage of bounty hunters. Boba Fett was among them, and Serena knew the Hutt meant business since he brought the most fearsome bounty hunter in the galaxy with him. Fett's price was never cheap.

_So I was wrong. Jabba does care we dropped the cargo. He doesn't seem happy._ She frowned, and prepared herself to go and talk with the slimy Hutt.

As she walked down the ramp she spoke, "Han's not here, Jabba, so if you're looking for him, you're wasting your time."

The gangster turned towards her and chuckled, "_I know your brother is here. He fried one of my bounty hunters."_

_"_Well, he's not in the _Falcon_. Believe me or not, that's the truth." She scoffed, backing away and Jabba moved a bit closer. The Hutt disgusted her, and she was never happy that Han had decided to smuggle for him. There were surely some criminal bosses who wouldn't make Serena want to gag each time she looked at them.

"_There are ways to make you talk..."_ The Hutt said menacingly, and was about to signal the bounty hunters when a voice cried out.

"I'm right here Jabba, so step away from my sister." Selena smirked as Han stepped up to the Hutt, with Chewbacca behind him, "I've been waiting for you."

"_Oh, have you?" _The slug-like gangster responded.

"I wasn't going to run out on you, you know."

"_Han, my boy, you're disappointing me. Why haven't you paid me? Why did you fry poor Greedo?"_

"Listen Jabba, next time you wanna talk to me, come yourself. Don't sent one of these twerps."

"_Han, Han, I can't afford to make exceptions. What if everyone who worked for me dropped their cargo at the first sign of an Imperial starship? It's just not good for business_." The Hutt said, and Serena had to keep herself from scoffing. The cargo wasn't important, and Han had probably saved the Hutt from some trouble with the Imperials, since he played it safe. Apparently, that wasn't what Jabba was looking for.

"Look, Jabba , even I get boarded sometimes. You think I had a choice? But I got a nice easy charter now, I'll pay you back plus a little extra. I just need a little more time..."Han said after stomping on Jabba's tail, which caused Serena to have to restrain her laughter. The Hutt glared at Han, but chose to ignore her brother's arrogance...for now.

"_Han, my boy, you're the best. So for an extra twenty percent -"_ Jabba responded greedily.

"_Twenty_ percent? That's crazy! Don't tell me you're gonna accept that, Han!" Serena argued. She was getting tired of this fat slug stealing all their hard-earned credits.

"You heard my sis. Fifteen, Jabba - don't push it," Han said, with a note of finality in his voice.

"_Fine, fifteen. But if you fail me again, I'll put a price on your head so big, you won't be able to go near a civilized system!" _Jabba called as Han started to walk away.

"You're a wonderful human being, Jabba." Han said sarcastically, and the sibling's watched the Hutt order his men away, and leave the area.

"Well...that was pleasant." Serena said, attempting to lighten the somewhat tense mood Han seemed to be in. Though he hid it well, she knew him too well for him to hide anything.

"Sure was. Listen sis, we've got to get goin' as soon as possible. These people are paying us a fortune for a flight to Alderaan, and I wanna get the job done as fast as possible so Jabba'll get off my back."

"Right. As long as it gets me off this planet, I'm in." She smirked.

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><p>A little while later the boy and old man walked towards the <em>Falcon<em>, along with the two droids she was watching earlier. She wasn't ecstatic to be stuck in a confined ship with the golden droid, because from what she saw he complained about pretty much everything. The astromech, however, seemed to be quiet enough - though that might have had to do with Serena's lack of understanding when the droid spoke.

When they approached the ship, she got a good look at the two humans for the first time. The old man had white facial hair and a gentle demeanor, yet he seemed more than willing to defend himself if necessary. The other boy had blonde, wind-blown hair and wore clothing a farmer on Tatooine typically wore. _He's not bad at all. He's actually pretty cute_, she thought quickly, before discarding that thought completely, _Please, he's just a passenger for a quick flight to Alderaan, nothing special._

However, when he smiled at her she couldn't help blushing a bit. The boy introduced himself, "I haven't met you yet. Luke Skywalker."

"Serena Solo." She nodded, smiling back. She noticed the old man standing behind Luke and smiled, "And you are...?"

"Ben Kenobi. A pleasure to meet you." He smiled kindly at her, but seemed to be staring at her oddly. She wasn't sure what he wanted, "Is something wrong?"

"No. No, nothing at all. My apologies" Ben responded, breaking off his stare and walking away.

_That was a little odd._ She thought, before returning her attention towards Luke.

"So, why are you heading to Alderaan?" She asked. She liked to know a little about what they were doing.

He seemed hesitant to answer, but before he could say anything Han spoke up, "Sis, they don't want any questions asked. So, keep your mouth shut."

"I will if you will." She retorted, and Han grinned.

Luke seemed to have noticed the _Falcon_ for the first time, "_That's_ the ship we're flying in? What a piece of junk!"

"Ouch, Han's not gonna like you insulting his baby," She teased her brother.

He glared at both of them before responding, "I've made a lot of special modifications myself. She's the fastest ship you're gonna get, so quit your whinin' and get in."

"Touchy, touchy." She smirked before heading towards the entrance ramp. Just as she was about to enter, she heard Han shout something.

She grabbed her blaster and turned around, noticing the stormtroopers pouring through towards the _Millennium Falcon_. She heard Han swear and start firing at them, successfully hitting a few before most of them could react. She was about to help him, when he shouted at her, "No - I'm fine! Get them into the _Falcon! NOW!" _

She hesitated for a moment, before leading Ben and Luke into the ship, with Chewie following her close behind.

Chewbacca raced to the cockpit and started the ship, while she watched Han shoot down a few more troopers before climbing into the _Falcon_ at the last moment. He ran into the cockpit, crying out, "Chewie, get us out of here!"

Chewbacca obliged, and, with the stormtroopers still shooting at them, he flew away from Docking Bay 94 into space.

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><p><em>What did you think? Good? Bad? Alright? I appreciate feedback! :D Thanks for reading! <em>


	2. Questions and Answers

_Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars...but I wish I did. I do, however, own Serena, and Tari Tymon._

_For those of you who don't know, Jonash Solo is Han's father, though I changed his father's back-story slightly. There wasn't much there anyway..._

_Oh! And anyone who is also reading my Harry Potter story, I won't be posting until after the New Year, mostly because of the very distracting presents we get on Christmas...:P Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you, as well. Also, a big thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, etc... :)_

_Edit: I'm editing these chapters to throw in more detail. This edit is (hopefully) better than the original chapter._

**Chapter 2: Questions and Answers**

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><p>Serena sat in a passenger seat as Han flew the <em>Falcon<em> off of Tatooine, managing to - quite skillfully - dodge a series of shots coming from the Imperial ships pursuing them. She couldn't quite claim that each shot _missed_ though; there was just too much enemy fire coming in for Han to dodge it all. The _Falcon _ was too big, and a few shots would occasionally hit the ship, causing it to violently rear to one side before Han steadied it once more. Luckily, her brother had just bought a new energy shield generator that seemed to deflect the shots well. It was money well spent on Han's part. her only gripe was that the shields didn't absorb the impact of the shots, so she had to prepare herself each time one of the Imperials fired. She was glad the shields were effective, or else she would have had to hear her brother complain about them.

Han had escaped most of the TIE fighters, and the young smuggler was about to relax when she heard Chewbacca roar, pointing frantically at the scanner. She could hear the scanner beeping in warning and checked. Surely enough, the wookiee had spotted an Imperial Cruiser behind them, and it was hot on their tail.

"Great, just what we need!" She shouted sarcastically, throwing her arms up into the air.

"I'm gonna set the calculations for lightspeed! Chewie, keep them as far away from us as you can!" Han barked, hastily jumping out of his seat and flipping switches. It took him a moment before he addressed his sister, "Sis, go and check on the passengers. Get them in their seats! It's gonna be a bumpy ride!"

"On it," She nodded. As she raced out of the cockpit, she ran directly into the two people she was looking for. It seemed they were coming in to find out what was going on.

"Listen, Han wants you two in your seats. He's gonna make the jump to hyperspace any time now!" She shouted, trying to lead them away from the cockpit and towards a more secure location.

"If this ship is as fast as your brother says, then why doesn't he just outrun them?" Luke glared, and Serena was angry he would try to argue with them now, of all times.

Han must have heard the remark because he called out, "Listen, kid, I'd watch my mouth if I were you! As my little sis already informed you, we're hitting lightspeed any second now. So why don't you sit down and let the pros handle the rest?"

Luke bristled at that, but before he could respond the _Falcon _was fired upon, causing the entire ship to shake violently once again.

"Listen, can't you two argue later? Those ships are getting close! We've gotta sit down and let Han and Chewie handle this. Trust me, they're more than capable," She tried to persuade Luke, as Ben did not seem to object to calmly leaving the cockpit and securing himself in his seat.

Luke glared towards the cockpit once more before calming a little and heading out. Serena sighed, relieved, as he sat down next to her in another room. _Damn stubborn Tatooine farm boy._ She thought bitterly as she led him towards his seat. They rushed into the room to find Ben sitting calmly in his seat, already secured and prepared for the jump to lightspeed. Serena wasted no time, and ordered Luke to strap himself in.

Each of them sat down and strapped themselves to the seats. She watched the golden droid - C-3P0 as she heard Luke call him - sit himself down near the Dejarik board, and R2-D2 braced himself on the wall. She hoped the little astromech droid would be alright just bracing himself on the wall, then she realized how silly she was to worry. Astromech's could move on _top_ of ships without a problem, and she was relieved that she wouldn't have to try to stop the droid from flying away once Han finally hit lightspeed. The ships fired once again, and she heard Han shout something about losing the deflector shields. _If we _have _lost them, Han had better hope the _Falcon_ can hit lightspeed soon. If he doesn't...I don't even want to think about what will happen._

It was taking Han a long time to hit lightspeed, and she heard Chewie roar as he reported that the shields were running out of power, and the _Millennium Falcon_ just couldn't take much more damage. She began to think they were never going to get to move, and her brother's faith in his ship was misplaced when the _Millennium Falcon_ finally - mercifully - hit lightspeed and sped away from the Imperial ships, and she was thrown back into her seat for a moment until she adjusted to the new speed.

After a moment of silence, when everybody calmed their nerves, Serena laughed nervously, "Well, that was a close one."

"Oh yeah it was," Luke agreed, his tone accusatory, "Your ship's obviously not as fast as your brother told us. 'Fastest ship in the galaxy', well that's a load of -"

She cut him off before he could begin, "Hey, the _Falcon_ got us away from those Imperials, didn't it? I wonder what would have happened if you didn't accept Han's offer? They'd have killed you down there, and you know it!"

"I'm not a bad pilot myself! I could've flown another ship out of there!" He retorted.

Serena was about to respond but Ben cut her off, "Calm yourselves. This is not the place for petty arguments."

Ben hadn't said much, but at that moment Serena felt ashamed, as if she was being scolded, though Ben's tone was hardly accusatory. She noticed that Luke seemed suitably embarrassed too, but made no attempt to apologize. He just ignored Serena and seemed to decide to spare himself more chiding on Ben's part and left, no doubt to criticize Han's flying. Serena glared as Luke stormed off.

She wondered if she should apologize, but discarded the thought. If Luke wanted her to apologize, he would have to apologize first. She felt like a child, but figured that Luke owed her an apology. After all, he was the one who had started the argument.

_Oh yes, Serena. Way to not sound like a spoiled brat who didn't get her way._ She sighed and leaned back into her seat, glaring sullenly at the droids near the Dejarik board.

She was left with Ben Kenobi, who made no further remark on their argument. They both sat there in an awkward type of silence. Meanwhile, Serena remembered the look he gave her earlier in the day, and decided that no time would be better than the present to ask about it, "Ben?"

He turned his head to acknowledge her, and she continued, "Earlier...you were looking at me kind of... strangely..." She trailed off, hoping he would get the message. She felt pretty odd asking him about it. After all, he could have just been checking to see who he would be staying with on his flight to Alderaan.

He seemed to understand, "Ah, my apologies. I had no intention of offending you."

"No, I wasn't offended!" She said hastily, "I was just wondering why."

Ben stared at her for a moment before speaking, "You look like someone I knew long ago."

"Who?"

"Tell me, do you know anything of Tari Tymon?" He asked, staring off into the distance.

She hesitated to answer. Her father had told her of Tari, the woman whom he had fallen madly in love with during the Clone Wars; the woman who didn't reciprocate his feelings. He had said she was a beautiful, cold, and ruthless woman who made her living as a bounty hunter. Her father claimed she would do anything to get the job done, and Serena never found the woman very appealing to hear about.

At one point, Tari had manipulated her father into thinking she was in love with him as well, though in fact she was only using him for her own pleasure. Once her father had discovered this, he left her, feeling heartbroken. He hadn't seen or heard of her for months until she returned, pregnant with his child. With _her._ Her mother had only returned so that Jonash Solo - Serena and Han's father - would care for her while she was incapable of bounty hunting. Jonash had tried desperately to win her affections in the months she stayed with him but the bounty hunter ignored his advances. Her mother had stayed only long enough to give birth to Serena before leaving to continue her bounty hunting career, only to die during a particularly difficult job. Her father mourned for her, even though she left him with nothing, and used him in such a terrible way. Han said their father had never been the same after Tari left him.

She never understood why Tari was so special to her father. After all, there had been other women in his life, such as Han's mother, though, from what Han had told her, that was only a fling. The woman couldn't care for Han and so their father was stuck caring for the boy, despite having little experience with children.

She realized that Ben was still staring at her intently, so she spoke reluctantly, "Yes...she was my mother."

Ben nodded, "You look very much like her."

She stared at the old man, suddenly very interested as to how he knew her mother, "How did you meet her?"

"During the Clone Wars -"

"_You_ were in the Clone Wars?" She interrupted, with a child-like enthusiasm.

"I was..." He hesitated for a moment before deciding to finish, "a Jedi. Your mother was a well known bounty hunter around this time."

Her eyes widened, and she silently chided herself for acting like a little girl, "You were a Jedi? I thought they were all killed...?"

"Not all of them," he responded with a bitter smile on his face, before continuing his tale, "Your mother was Force Sensitive, and the Jedi Council had considered training her to become a Jedi."

"Force Sensitive?"

"Your mother had the ability to use the Force. It is a tool of the Jedi. The Force surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the Universe together."

In all honesty, this statement only confused her more, but she asked, "So, why didn't she join the Jedi?"

He seemed sad, "Your mother was not very kindhearted, and was already a grown woman when the Council discovered her. She was too dangerous to become a Jedi, and the Council decided it would be best to leave her untrained. I do not know what became of her after this decision was made."

Serena knew, "My father said she died."

"You have my sympathies." He said kindly.

Serena smiled slightly, but it was only to be polite to Ben. She really hadn't been affected at all when her father told her about her mother's death, "There's no need to give me your sympathies. I never knew her. Honestly, I don't really think of her as my mother."

Ben remained silent for a moment, as if he was debating to telling her something, before finally speaking, "While you may not consider her to be your mother, I have a suspicion that you may have inherited her affinity to the Force."

She stared at him blankly, "You mean...? No. I can't be...that's ridiculous. I'm just a smuggler's younger sister. I'm not even an actual smuggler - I just tag along since he's my brother. I think you've got the wrong person."

"I can feel the Force flowing through you. I would train you myself, but I have already taken up the training of another, and the Jedi have always had a very strict code: one Master, one Padawan..." He trailed off, and she turned around to see that Luke had re-entered the room. She felt much less angry with the farm boy than she had earlier. Ben had told her too much. She needed time to sort out this news; it was too much to take in at once.

Luke walked up to Ben and asked, "Ben, I was wondering if you could start my training now...?"

The old Jedi smiled, "Eager to learn, are we? Very well."

She watched Luke and Ben prepare his training, her thoughts racing. _What makes him think I have this Force? I'm no one special. I barely know how to fly a ship. What makes this Jedi think I can use this mystical Force?_ She couldn't figure Ben out at all. His confession to her confused and unsettled her. Han told her that he remembered the Jedi had been all but exterminated by the Empire; she hoped no one else would make the same assumption Ben had.

She hadn't realized it, but it seemed that Ben and Luke had already prepared the lesson, and she watched Luke wield a glowing blue blade and attempting to block the shots of the small circular droid she and Han had kept for practice at dodging and returning blaster fire. It was a great way to improve their aim and ensure they could avoid - at least a small amount of - blaster bolts fired at them.

She turned to watch Ben. One moment he was watching Luke attempt to block the blaster shots, and another moment he was rubbing at his head, as if he had a headache. She also thought he looked a bit nauseous, "Ben? Are you alright?"

"I felt a great disturbance in the Force. I feel something terrible has happened." Luke had walked over to check on Ben, as well. The old man sent him back, "You had better get on with your training."

Ben attempted to give Luke advice, but Luke still couldn't block any of the shots from hitting him in the leg, sending a nasty shock through his body. Serena winced in sympathy each time he was shocked with the stun bolts. She had felt them on more than one occasion, and, while the pain wasn't excruciating, it was certainly uncomfortable to get hit with them. He seemed frustrated, and his frustration seemed to increase with each passing minute.

It was at this moment when her brother and Chewbacca rejoined them, "You can forget about those Imperials. I lost 'em!"

Nobody responded, and Chewie began to play Dejarik with R2-D2.

"Don't everybody thank me at once," Han grumbled, and she laughed.

"_Thank you_, Han," Serena responded, over exaggerating her thanks. He smirked before sitting down next to her, watching Luke just as she did.

Ben started lecturing Luke about the power of the Force, which Serena found a little interesting, since he seemed to believe she was able to do this as well. Han, however, did not seem so amused and started watching Artoo and Chewbacca play Dejarik. R2-D2 had just taken one of Chewie's pieces and the wookiee wasn't happy, letting out a feral roar in objection to Artoo's last move.

"You don't wanna upset a wookiee," Han interjected.

"But sir, nobody worries about upsetting a droid," C-3P0 said, defending his fellow droid.

"That's because a droid doesn't rip your arms out of their sockets when you lose, " Han finished, smirking slightly.

"Artoo, I suggest a new strategy. Let the wookiee win."

Serena laughed out loud at that, "Chewie, you're such a sore loser."

Chewbacca growled and she raised her arms in the air, "Alright, alright. Sorry." Though she was still chuckling a bit at the wookiee's antics. She continued to watch the two play Dejarik, but it became boring when it was obvious that Chewbacca was going to win, even though she knew he was not the better player. The smuggler returned to watching Luke attempt to deflect the stun blots the little droid would shoot at him.

"Let the Force flow through you," Ben tried to encourage Luke, to no avail as the blots still struck him in the leg.

Han let out a scoff, "Religion isn't gonna save you from a blaster bolt, kid."

"Maybe, but that weapon will," she grinned and Han glared at her, "Hey, don't glare at me! You've seen it block those stun bolts. Those things are pretty amazing."

"You don't believe in the Force, huh?" Luke said, powering the lightsaber down, and turning to look Han in the eyes.

"It's all a bunch of nonsense," Han responded simply, leaning back into his chair and stretching out his legs.

"What about you?" Luke asked Serena, smiling slightly. She knew then that he was trying to move on from their petty argument and she was relieved there wouldn't be awkward apologies. She wasn't the best in those kinds of situations. Still, she appreciated his efforts and smiled back, to let him know all was forgiven. She realized she still hadn't answered his question though and tried to answer as honestly as possible.

"I...don't know," She answered, looking him in the eyes. Before Ben had told her about it, she would have said the same as her brother, but something about the way Ben spoke about it made her want to believe him. Still, she wished her feelings on this mysterious Force were more clear-cut, like her brothers. At least he knew what he believed in. Serena wasn't so sure anymore.

Han looked stunned, "Since when did you believe in the 'all powerful' Force?"

Serena shrugged, not quite sure what to say. All remained quiet. Each one of them sat quietly, and Luke didn't seem too anxious to embarrass himself when he missed to stun bolts the little remote shot at him.

Ben apparently had other ideas, as he took the opportunity to pick up a helmet with the blast shield down and placed it upon Luke's head while saying, "This time, I want you to let go of your conscious self and act upon your instincts."

"But I can't see with the blast shield down!" Luke protested, beginning to take off the helmet.

"No - your eyes can deceive you. Don't trust them," The old man said, stopping Luke from removing the helmet.

Luke sighed and powered up his lightsaber. He tried to deflect the bolts but failed.

"Stretch out with your feelings!" urged Ben, as Luke prepared to deflect the bolts once more.

"This is gettin' ridiculous," Han muttered.

Luke sucked in a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders. Serena watched with interest. He seemed more focused now than he ever had before. It was impossible, surely he would do better without the blast shield in front of his eyes...

The small droid fired and Luke moved his lightsaber quickly, blocking each of the three shots.

"Wow," She said, startled. She hadn't been expecting to see that. _That was too much to be called a coincidence..._

"I call it luck." Han said as Luke removed the helmet, smiling with triumph. She rolled her eyes. This was so like Han. Her brother stuck to his opinions even as he was proven wrong thousands of different ways.

"There is no such thing as luck, in my experience," said Ben, as he stood up to congratulate Luke.

"Look, blocking bolts from remotes is one thing, but let's see him block bolts from real blasters, set to kill." Han retaliated, seeming unconvinced of what Ben had just said, "Now, I'm gonna head to the cockpit," and he left, with Chewbacca following him. Serena hadn't even realized that Chewie and Artoo had finished their game of Dejarik. Artoo was grumbling to Threepio about the wookiee's poor sportsmanship.

"Well, I thought it was impressive," She complimented, realizing that Luke needed more reassurance that he was given. Luke smiled brightly in thanks.

"Y'know, I could almost see the remote!" Luke boasted, just a little. Still she couldn't blame him for this; she would be pretty pleased with herself if she had done what he just did.

"Good," Ben smiled, "you've taken your first steps into a larger world."

Serena was about to respond when the _Falcon_ lurched violently to the right, causing her to stumble and fall onto the ground. She sighed, "That doesn't seem good."

Luke offered her a hand to help herself up and she blushed slightly as she looked into his eyes. They were such a nice color. She inwardly scolded herself as she took his hand gratefully, "Thanks. Come on! Let's go see what the problem is!"

They all raced to the cockpit, only to find Han and Chewbacca frantically flipping switches.

"Han! Where the hell are we?" She shouted as she looked out the window to see large pieces of rocks surrounding the ship, "How did you get us caught into an asteroid field?"

"This ain't an asteroid field! This is where Alderaan is supposed to be!"

"You must have done something wrong," Luke said.

"I didn't do anything wrong, kid, check for yourself."

Luke did just that and seemed just as puzzled as Han did when he was finished checking their location.

"It looks like it's been blown away!" Serena said after a moment, and Han agreed with her.

"How?" Luke asked.

"The Empire destroyed it." Ben answered, staring off into the distance with a disturbed look upon his face.

"No way. Not even the Empire has enough firepower to blow away an entire planet!" Han objected, steering the _Millennium Falcon_ away from a particularly large piece of debris.

Chewbacca roared, "_There is another ship coming in!"_

Han, Serena, and Ben, who understood the wookiee, checked the scanner and saw the shape of a ship flying behind them. It flew ahead of them a few moments later.

"That's an Imperial TIE-fighter!" Serena shouted. She didn't know a lot about ships, but in the years she had begun smuggling with Han, she learned what a tie-fighter was.

"Great observation, sis," Han retorted, sarcastically and Serena felt her face flush. Her comment was pretty unnecessary, now that she thought about it.

"It's a short range fighter. They would need a base." Ben said thoughtfully, ignoring Han and Serena's previous comments.

"If that thing identifies us, we're gonna be in big trouble!" Luke shouted.

"Well it's not gonna have the chance!" Han retorted, before speeding up and following the tie-fighter, intent upon blowing the ship up and keeping their location a secret.

Ben objected to the plan, but Han ignored him and continued following the ship. When he was almost in firing range, they all spotted something in the distance.

"Look. It's a small moon. There must be a base there." Serena shrugged.

"That's no moon!" Ben said, his eyes widening.

"Then what is it?" Serena asked, exasperated.

"A space station." The former Jedi said, seeming slightly nervous.

"That's impossible!" Han argued, just as he lost control of the _Falcon's_ systems.

"What's going on?" Luke asked, gripping onto the controls in order to keep from falling over.

Serena felt as if she was going to faint. She knew what Han was about to say as he stiffened and attempted to remain calm, though she knew he was nervous, "We're caught in a tractor beam."

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><p><em>That's all for this chapter! Let me know what you think :) Those reviews help me learn where to improve! :)<em>


	3. The Rescue Mission

_Thank you to everyone who read, favorited, story-alerted, or reviewed. You are all amazing! :)_

_Happy New Year, everyone! :)_

_Edit: Yep. Edited this one too, mainly because I skipped a lot of detail. Now it's a little longer :)_

_Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars. I only own Serena._

**Chapter 3: The Rescue Mission**

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><p>"They're not gonna take me without a fight!" Han exclaimed, and began rapidly flipping switches.<p>

"You can't win," Ben said simply, and Serena found herself silently agreeing, much to her dismay.

"That doesn't mean I'm not gonna try!" He retorted, "Chewie help me shut down the power!"

"Han - it's not worth it," Serena sighed, fear settling in. What would the Imperials do to them if they were discovered? Han had gotten them out of a lot of tight spots, but this was one she wasn't sure even her brother could pull off.

"What're you talkin' like that for? Trust me," He flashed her a smirk, and she couldn't keep a small smile from her face; he knew just how to cheer her up.

"Any bright ideas, then?" Luke cut in.

Han sat still for a moment. The cockpit was quiet, and the _Millennium Falcon_ kept moving closer and closer to the large space station. Chewie roared, "_We can use the smuggling holds. They are large enough for us all."_

Han spoke first, "Great idea, Chewie! Come on!"

He led them to a particularly large smuggling hold and, with Chewbacca and Serena's help, he pulled it open to reveal the smuggling hold. It was a small space; it would be a tight fit for them all to enter, especially Chewbacca, as the wookiee was twice the size of a grown man. Serena wasted no time and lowered herself in, moving as far to the side as possible to make the most room inside. She already felt claustrophobic in the small space, and inwardly cringed at the thought of the others joining her.

"It's going to be a tight fit," She muttered, as Chewbacca, Han, Luke, Ben, and the two droids all followed her inside.

"Aw, quit your whinin'. We're gonna be fine," Han said, and Serena fell silent. Luke was sitting next to her, and he seemed tense. She smiled what she hoped was a reassuring smile, though she certainly did not feel very confident with this plan, either, especially when the others continued to pile in. Luke managed to smile back, even as they were forced closer and closer together. After C-3P0 entered, the hold was tight, and they were all forced to squeeze together. She was practically sitting on Luke's lap, and she blushed hard at the thought. She dared to look back at Luke, who was blushing, as well. She tried to keep her discomfort hidden, in order to make them both more comfortable. She wasn't succeeding.

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><p>After many moments of tense silence, the group felt the <em>Falcon<em> land in the space station. It was quiet for a long time, and Serena wondered how much longer they would all be forced to remain crammed together. It was getting uncomfortably hot in the smuggling hold. But when they heard footsteps approaching, none of them so much as breathed. The footsteps grew louder until they could hear them walking right on top of the smuggling hold's entrance. Serena was grateful that the smuggling was so well hidden, or they would all be in a lot of trouble now. The footsteps then receded quickly, and she could practically feel the frustration of the Imperials forced to search through a seemingly empty ship. She smirked at that. The footsteps could still be heard, but they were fading away rapidly. Serena decided it might be safe to whisper to the others.

"Do you think -" She was cut off as Han clamped a hand over her mouth. The footsteps halted for a moment. The person, who she assumed was a stormtrooper, seemed to be contemplating if he heard anything.

"Did you hear that?" She heard one ask. She felt her heart beating a little faster. She didn't think she had spoken that loudly.

The other paused and listened for a minute. He scoffed at the other stormtroopers, "No - it's just your imagination. Come on, let's search the rest of the ship."

The man waited a moment longer before his footsteps could be heard walking off to continue the search. Han's hand was still clamped over her mouth. Eventually, after the footsteps were gone, Serena grabbed his hand and removed it from her mouth, glaring at him. He smirked, though he seemed a little irritated. Not that she blamed him; she did almost get them discovered. She wondered what would have happened if the stormtroopers decided to search around for them. Would they have found the smuggling hold? It was well hidden, but with the right search teams it was possible. She felt incredibly stupid. That was an amateurish move on her part. She was determined to not make the same mistake again.

After a time, the footsteps returned, but they were leaving the ship instead of boarding. They heard a trooper say, "There's nothing here, sir" and exit the ship. Han opened the smuggling hold and readied his blaster, just in case there were any lingering stormtroopers. To their relief, they seemed to be gone...for now.

Serena crawled out from behind, followed by Luke, then Ben, with the droids bringing up the rear. They all paused as they were finally able to get out of that hot smuggling hold and breathe in some fresh air. Serena was just grateful to escape the heat, and began fanning herself in an attempt to cool off.

"Glad you have these compartments," Luke said.

"Yeah - I keep these for smuggling my cargo. Never thought I'd be smuggling myself," Her brother responded, still scanning the _Falcon_ for stormtroopers.

"Well," She said after a moment's pause, "What are we going to do?"

Han cursed, "I don't know! Even if I could take off I couldn't get past that tractor beam."

Ben finally spoke up, "Leave the tractor beam to me."

"Damn old fool - I knew you were gonna say that."

"Who's more foolish? The fool, or the fool who follows him?"

She and Chewbacca laughed at that. Serena loved it when Han was out-witted, because it certainly didn't happen often. She was liking Ben more and more the longer he stayed with them.

"Aw, shut up, you two!" Her brother growled, and she tried to silence her laughter. Chewbacca just continued chuckling.

"Alright then, genius, what's your brilliant plan?" She retorted, leaning onto the walls of the ship.

"You expect me to come up with the brilliant ideas, huh? One day I'm gonna run out of 'em."

"You probably don't have any right now," Serena retorted, causing Luke to smirk, and Chewbacca to bark out a laugh, once again at Han's expense.

"Very funny, sis. I'll bet -" but Han was cut off as two Imperials entered the ship. The group backed away quickly, and were fortunate not to be seen.

"These Imperials don't search very well, do they?" Serena whispered, as quietly as possible. She didn't want a repeat of her earlier mistake.

"Are you complainin'?" Han raised his eyebrow at her.

She shook her head, "No, just making a point."

Han rolled his eyes, "Well thanks for pointin' out the obvious, sis, but let's discuss plans. I've got one, but first we gotta take out those two," Han said, gesturing to the two Imperials setting up a scanner on the ship.

"The problem will not be subduing them, but subduing them quietly," Ben said. Each member of the group agreed to his statement.

"Let's just do it quickly then. The faster we take 'em out the less chance they have of callin' for help," said Han, as he readied his blaster.

They snuck up towards the two Imperials, glad that the two men had their backs turned to them as they moved closer. By the time they noticed, Chewie was on them, throwing one trooper onto the floor of the ship with a _thunk_ that Serena was sure everyone could hear. Han smacked the other on the head with his blaster, knocking him out cold. Serena was glad they didn't have to shoot the Imperials. If they had, they would have surely attracted the attention of the others waiting outside. Still, Chewbacca threw the one stormtrooper rather aggressively, and he'd hit the wall with a loud bang.

"Nice job, fur ball, now everyone's going to know something's wrong," Serena whispered, and Chewbacca shrugged in apology.

Han grinned, "Don't worry, sis, it's all part of the plan," He moved closer to the entrance ramp of the ship and called out, "Hey down there! Could you give us a hand?"

The two stormtroopers rushed into the _Falcon_ where Serena and Han were waiting, blasters charged and ready. They barely had a second to reach before the siblings both shot at the same time, killing them both.

"Y'know, for stormtroopers, you'd think they'd be a little harder to take out," Serena mused, as they watched the bodies hit the floor. Nobody responded to her.

Han then rushed over to the dead troopers, "We can sneak into the base disguised as stormtroopers."

"Right, there's just one problem. There's only two sets of armor," Serena said, while placing her blaster back into her belt. The other Imperials on the _Falcon_ were simply technicians, and were not required to wear the bulky armor of the stormtroopers.

"Yeah, I don't know if you two are gonna like this part," He said, gesturing to Serena and Chewie, "Luke and I are gonna be the troopers. We're the only two who can fit in the armor. You two are gonna be our prisoners."

Chewbacca roared in objection, and Serena began to protest.

Luke, who had been oddly quiet, broke in, "It's the only way we're going to be able to get out of here."

"There's got to be another way than going in as prisoners!" Serena objected.

"What? If you have any brilliant ideas, we'd be glad to hear 'em," Han hissed, "We're runnin' out of options, so if you've got somethin' to say—say it."

In all honesty, Serena had no other plans. She tried to think of a solution, but the others were getting impatient. She was even getting impatient with herself, so she sighed, "Fine, I'll be a prisoner."

"Good, leave your blasters here and let's get movin'."

Serena and Chewbacca complied and removed their weapons, while Luke and Han put on the armor. Before they started the plan, Chewbacca placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and she smiled at her wookiee companion. They moved forward and Chewie removed his hand; it would look suspicious for two prisoners to be allowed to comfort one another.

"Hope this works," Luke muttered.

"_TK-421, why aren't you at your post? TK-421, do you copy?"_

They all jumped at the sound, and then relaxed when they realized it was coming from Han's helmet. He rushed outside after gesturing for them all to remain in the _Falcon_. She watched him point to his helmet, and then gestured for the others waiting on the_ Falcon_ to hurry. The group followed Han as he raced to the door. As they ran through the docking bay, Serena examined the interior of the huge space station they were now trapped in. So far it didn't look like anything she had ever seen before. Usually on space stations, the docking bays were barely big enough to fit three ships. This one could hold more than she could count. It was massive! She didn't understand why the Imperials would build something of this magnitude. Still, she really didn't have time to examine the scenery, because the others were frantically running towards the door, which seemed to be the only way out of the docking bay.

They arrived just in time, the Imperial opened the door only to be greeted by a very angry wookiee, who threw the man away from the group. Han shot at the other, and Serena watched, satisfied, as the men all went down.

"Great job. You've alerted the whole station. We'll have them after us in a heartbeat if you keep that up." Luke said venomously, while removing his helmet.

"Bring 'em on. I prefer a straight up fight to this sneakin' around."

"It was _your_ plan, Han," Serena said. Sometimes Han didn't think before he spoke.

"We've found the computed outlet, sir," C-3P0 said, interrupting a further argument.

"Plug in," Ben ordered, "Artoo should be able to interpret the entire Imperial Network."

"And if he can't?" Serena countered, but there was no need for Ben to respond. Artoo did as Ben commanded, and searched through the Imperial's records. It took a while but eventually the astromech droid beeped. It looked like he was able to successfully find the information they were looking for.

C-3P0 translated, "He says he's found the controls to the tractor beam that's keeping us here. He'll try to make the precise location appear on the monitor."

_Just hurry up. Waiting here is making me nervous._ Serena thought as the droid finally had the location appear on the monitor. C-3P0 spoke once again, but she ignored the golden droid and focused on the map. Ben would have to be insanely brave or stupid—or perhaps both— to try to go there by himself. She had no idea how the old man expected to survive. She knew if she attempted anything of the sort, she would wind up dead not long after her attempt. She didn't know a lot about Ben, but while he seemed quite resourceful, she didn't know how he thought he was able to sneak through a large portion of the space station.

"Be patient, Luke. Stay here and watch over the droids," She heard Ben say, and she realized he was about to leave.

"No Ben! You'll be killed out there by yourself!" She protested, but the old man just smiled.

"You forget one very important thing, Serena. I will be fine," With that, Ben nodded to them all in acknowledgment before leaving the room.

She figured he meant that he was once a Jedi, but she didn't see how a Jedi could take on all of the Imperials here on his own—even with the Force to aid him.

"_Crazy old man,_" Chewbacca said, after the blast doors closed behind Ben.

"You said it, Chewie. Where'd you get that old fossil?"

Luke bristled at that, "Ben is a great man!"

"Great at getting us into trouble."

She didn't speak. She wasn't sure about Ben, but she didn't think he was crazy. She figured he must have had a good reason to go alone, or at least, she _hoped_ he had a good reason to go alone.

"Calm down, boys. Put the claws away; you're both pretty," She smirked, teasing the two.

"Tell me somethin' I don't know," Her brother smirked, and Luke laughed lightly. She was glad she was able to relieve some of the tension.

Just as things calmed down, R2-D2 began frantically whirring, and Serena looked to Threepio for a translation.

"He keeps saying 'I've found her', and 'she's here'."

"Who?" Han asked.

"Princess Leia Organa. We've worked her a small amount of time -"

"The Princess!" Luke exclaimed, cutting off the droid, "Well, where is she?"

"Level Five. Detention Block AA-23. I'm afraid to inform you that she is scheduled to be terminated."

"We've got to rescue her, " Luke said.

"No way. The old man wants us to stay right here," Han said, sitting down to show he had no intention of leaving, "And I'm gonna listen to him."

"But they'll kill her!"

"Better her than me," Han said smoothly, and Luke looked frustrated.

"Listen to the farm boy, Han. We can't leave her to die." Serena tried to reason with her brother.

"You wanna save her too? What's she done for us?"

"Would you want to die at the hands of the Imperials? It's not a pleasant way to go," Serena hissed.

Han glared, "And if we get caught, we're gonna be in for the same fate! Doesn't anybody here understand that?"

Luke paused, and then smirked, "She's rich."

Han looked at Luke in shock, his interest plain to see.

"Looks like farm-boy over there has found your weakness, Han." Serena laughed.

While Han and Luke discussed more in depth, Serena was glad to see her brother was coming around to their side of the argument. With a little persuasion—bribery, more like it—Han could be made to see either side of any argument, even if it was the side he disagreed with.

"What's your plan?" Han asked with a greedy look in his eyes. She rolled her eyes at him.

Luke grabbed two pairs of binders and approached Chewbacca. Serena realized what Luke was trying to do and was about to warn him, but Luke had already attempted to place the binders on Chewbacca's wrists. The wookiee roared and threateningly glared at him. Luke instantly jumped back in shock.

Han stepped in, "Don't worry, old buddy, I think I know what he had in mind." When Han tried, Chewbacca still seemed reluctant, but allowed the smuggler to place the binders on his wrists.

Luke approached Serena instead with another pair of binders, and she silently allowed him to place them on her wrists. He stared at her and said something she wouldn't expect, "Farm boy? That's what you're going to call me?"

"Well, yeah," She smirked at the look on his face, "If you don't like it I've got other nicknames for you."

"Like what?" He smiled.

"Well, there's nerf-herder, but if you don't like that I've got more..."

Luke laughed out loud at that, "That's okay. Stick with farm-boy. It's not so bad now that I think about it."

She smirked once more as the group approached the door, "I thought not."

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><p><em>That's all for this chapter. Hope you all liked it!<em>


	4. Down the Garbage Chute

_Note: As always, thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, etc. You are all amazing! :)_

_Also, I would like to apologize for this delay, and, unfortunately the next chapter may take just as long to update. This year is looking to be pretty busy. Just don't worry if I don't update for a while. This story will not be abandoned :)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. Only Serena and Tari._

**Chapter 4: Down the Garbage Chute**

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><p>Just as the group was about to leave, C-3P0 spoke up, "Excuse me, Master Luke, but what should Artoo and I do?"<p>

"Just wait here, we'll come back for you."

"But what if we're discovered?"

Luke smirked, "Lock the door."

"And hope they don't have blasters," Han put in.

"_Good luck._" Chewie said.

They all left the room and heard C-3P0 say, "Oh my". Serena laughed lightly at that. That is, she laughed until she remembered her situation. She was supposed to be a prisoner, so she made sure not to hide her anxiety and fear from being surrounded by Imperials. While they tried to find their way through the massive space station, Serena finally got a moment to examine it. It was bigger than anything she could have imagined, and she wondered how long it took to build. She also wondered if this space station destroyed Alderaan. It certainly was big enough, and with enough firepower...

She didn't want to think of it. She wasn't a fan of the Imperials, but even that would be going too far...wouldn't it? She wasn't so sure that the Imperials even cared.

She had to focus, but she couldn't get her mind off of the massive space station, with its silver walls and smooth, flawless floor. The Imperials were very orderly. So orderly in fact that they seemed to be more machines than men. The stormtroopers never seemed to care who they killed. They just did their job without any thought towards morality or mercy.

The group moved easily through the halls. Serena was surprised they didn't encounter more stormtroopers or officers. The ones they did encounter just let them pass without so much as a comment.

_How many prisoners travel through here daily, for them to be so casual about it? You'd think a wookiee would get their attention, at least_. She thought.

Speaking of wookiees, Chewbacca was getting extremely agitated and uncomfortable. She knew he hated being restrained in such a way. He was a slave once, and she knew how much it bothered him to be confined, even if he wasn't truly a prisoner. Truth be told, Serena was a bit uncomfortable too, the binders scratched at her wrists, even though Luke had tried to make them as loose as possible.

She was startled out of her thoughts as a loud roar came from Chewbacca, and she watched a tiny mouse droid scurry away in a panic. It was almost comical; she just hoped none of the Imperials heard his roar. They didn't need to draw attention to themselves.

"Calm down, Chewie. You'll be out of those soon enough," She muttered, and Chewbacca grunted.

Typically, the hallways they now had to pass through were crawling with Imperials. She felt extremely nervous, if they were discovered they were all done for. She wanted to hide her emotions, but she figured a prisoner would look a little frightened anyway, and made sure she made her fear very plain to see.

They stopped in front of an elevator, and waited for it to arrive. Serena's instincts were screaming at her to get out of there and run away. She knew that would just get her killed, besides, if she did get away, there was nowhere for her to escape to.

Finally, mercifully, the elevator arrived. They waited for the Imperials to get off before quickly getting in. She heard Luke say, "I can't see a thing in this helmet" to her brother. She just hoped none of the Imperials were listening. She figured that would sound suspicious to any of them.

As soon as the elevator doors closed, Serena spoke, "What if someone heard you out there? You could have gotten us caught!"

"Calm down, sis, we're gonna be fine," Han said, though he seemed a little on edge too.

"I _really_ hope you're right."

The elevator stopped and the doors slid open. They walked out to find themselves in a type of control or communications room. Cameras adorned the walls, and there was a large terminal in the center of the room. There were no stormtroopers in this room; it was filled with Imperial officers. Serena suddenly realized they looked very suspicious.

"Where are you taking this...thing? And that girl? I do not recall having another child as a prisoner."

She bristled at 'child' but realized the other child he was talking about must have been Princess Leia. From what she'd heard, Leia was around the same age as she was. That at least meant they arrived at the right place.

"Er...prisoner transfer. From cell blocks 11-38 and 11-39." Luke said quickly.

"I wasn't informed. I'll have to clear it," The officer said, staring at them all suspiciously. He gestured to the men behind him to do it for him.

They knew that they would have to act fast before they could contact anyone else. Chewbacca roared and punched one of the men in the face, sending him down towards the ground. Serena wasted no time and clumsily picked up his blaster. She couldn't use it with the binders on, but she knew it would be useful to have later.

Luke came over and quickly undid her binders, and they clattered to the floor. She defended Chewie and shot at most of the Imperials who could have seriously injured him. Luke and Han were able to get the rest. During the confusion, Han shot at all of the security cameras, ensuring nobody would see what happened in there.

After all the cameras were destroyed, and the Imperials were dead Han quickly ran towards the terminal and pulled the officer's dead body from it. The body must have pressed something that alerted the rest of the Imperials, because it was beeping loudly.

"Great. Now what?" She muttered.

"We find out which cell this princess is in...here we go," Han said, "It's 21-87. Hurry, kid!"

Luke took off for the Princess. Serena decided to remain with Han and Chewbacca. If the Imperials were on to them it would be good to have more back up since this was the only way in.

"Uh...everything's under control. Situation normal." Han said, and she sighed. He didn't have a clue what he was talking about. The communications officer on the other end of the line seemed to think it was a bit suspicious as well.

"What happened?"

"Uh, well, we had a slight weapons malfunction...but everything's perfectly alright now. We're fine, uh, yes. How are you?"

She groaned, that was sure to get them caught.

"We're sending a squad up."

"NO! Uh, no, negative. We have, uh, a reactor leak here. Yeah, uh, just a few minutes ago we locked down. It's a large leak...very dangerous."

"Who is this? What's your operating number?" The Imperial demanded, instantly knowing something was amiss.

Han just sighed and shot at the communication device, putting a quick end to the conversation, "Boring conversation anyway. LUKE WE'RE GONNA HAVE COMPANY!"

Luke nodded and doubled his speed.

Serena just laughed at her brother, "Really, Han? 'Oh, uh, everything's fine up here. It's fine. How are you?'" He glared at her while she mocked his acting skills.

When she finally controlled her laughter, she soothed her brother's bruised ego, "It's alright, Han. Not even you can be good at _everything_."

Then, Chewbacca roared in warning. The doors were opening. Serena readied the stolen blaster and pointed it at the entrance, determined to shoot down at least one of those damned Imperials. She backed away quickly, never taking her eyes off of the door.

"Get behind me!" Han shouted when the doors burst open. She obliged and saw Chewie do the same. The trio shot frantically at the stormtroopers, and took down quite a few before they even had time to react.

"Back up! Back up!" Han ordered, and they backed through the door one at a time. The stormtroopers were firing back now, but they missed almost every time.

_I've heard stories about their poor aim, but now I know they're true. Who trains these guys? A blind man?_ She thought, inwardly laughing at their ineptitude. _Guess I've got to thank their trainer, though. He's probably saved our lives with his poor teaching._

"Heh, we're not gonna get out that way," Han said, wiping sweat from his brow.

Serena turned to see a very pretty girl around her own age with her hair tied up into two cinnamon buns. The girl's hair was brown and she had thin, red lips. She also wore a long white dress. It was Princess Leia.

"Great job. You've managed to cut off our only escape route," Leia said scathingly at Han. Serena was stunned; she expected a little more gratitude from the Princess.

"How'd you like it back in your cell, your Highness?" Han retorted, and Serena smiled.

"He's got a point, Princess."

Leia just glared at her.

The stormtroopers finally caught up and began shooting at the group and they were forced to back up further.

"C-3P0? C-3P0 - come in!" Luke desperately shouted into his comm unit. Serena hoped that the droid would respond quickly.

"Are there any other ways out of the cell bay? We've been cut off!"

Serena dodged a very close shot made by one of the troopers. _Oh hurry up with that answer Threepio._

She didn't hear his answer, but Luke informed them, "Apparently, there isn't any other way out."

"That's just great. Now we're all gonna die," She said, feeling her hopes sink. They saved the Princess only to die themselves.

"Some rescue. You're telling me you didn't even have a plan for getting out." Leia said, and Serena wished she would stop complaining.

"_He's_ the brains, sweetheart," Han said, pointing to Luke.

Leia just sighed, exasperated, and ripped the blaster rifle from Luke's hands.

"What are you doing?" Luke shouted in objection.

"Well, someone's got to save our skins," She said, crossing the hallway, and shooting down a handful of stormtroopers. Serena had to admit she was impressed.

Leia blew open a grate, "Into the garbage chute, flyboy!"

Leia then slid down, out of sight.

"Well, come on!" Serena said.

She didn't wait for the others to respond and slid down after. The ride was quick and smelly. Serena wished that they could have found a different escape route. She wouldn't get this smell out of her clothes for a while.

She landed on top of a pile of garbage which, while cushioning her fall, covered her with grime. She sighed, and attempted to get it off of her clothes.

"No use - this stuff will only come out with a good long wash." Leia told her.

She sighed, "I figured as much."

Chewbacca came down next, grumbling about the horrible smell and the fact that Han had kicked him. He went over to the door, and growled fiercely when he realized it was locked.

Then Luke came down. After a second to recover from the crash, he shot at the door, causing the blaster bolt to deflect off the door and bounce around before stopping.

"Great - it's magnetically sealed." Leia said angrily.

Han finally arrived, groaning as he smacked down onto the pile of garbage, "You know, this was a really wonderful idea, Princess. What a wonderful smell you've discovered," He said, in his most obnoxious sarcastic voice.

Leia just shot him a look and didn't respond. Han, having finally noticed Chewie couldn't get the door opened, ordered Chewbacca to "Get away from there" and prepared to take a shot.

"No STOP!" Luke shouted, but it was too late. Han shot at the door and the bolt was once more deflected as it ricochet off of the walls.

"We already tried that! Now put that away before you get us all killed," Leia ordered.

Han's temper flared, "Oh certainly, your Worship. Look, I had everything under control until you led us down here!"

"Yeah, because getting us pinned down by the Imps was a great job." Serena said, irritated with both the princess and her brother, "So quit fighting and let's try to find a way out of here."

Leia calmed, "Well, it could be worse."

Just then, a loud wail sounded through the chute. Serena stiffened. She did not want to know what kind of creature that was.

"It's worse..." Han said, scanning the room quickly.

"Don't be silly. I'm sure whatever that...thing...was is far away from us..." Serena said, attempting to calm the group down, though she didn't believe what she had just said.

Luke then jumped, "Something just swam past my leg."

"It's your imagination, kid."

"Maybe you should get out of there..." Serena said, biting her lip with worry.

"There it is again!" He said, jumping once more.

"Kid, would you calm down -"

Then, Luke was suddenly pulled under the water. Serena screamed out in fear and worry and she heard Leia do the same.

"NO! Luke!" They all shouted, and Han frantically searched through the water, praying that the farm boy from Tatooine was alright.

"KID! CAN YOU HEAR ME?" Han shouted, desperate to save him.

"Oh no..." Serena said, tears forming in her eyes. What a terrible way to die...

Just then, Luke resurfaced with a large tentacle around his neck, strangling the life from his body.

"Luke, quick Luke, grab a hold of this!" Leia shouted, handing him something to real himself in.

Unfortunately, he couldn't grab a proper hold of it with the tentacle around his neck. He had his two hands full trying to pry the strong tentacle away from his neck, in a feeble attempt to breathe.

"Shoot it! Do something!" Serena screamed, panicking.

"I can't - I might hit the kid!"

"Just do it..." Luke choked out.

Han shot at the creature multiple times and almost got Luke away from it, but the beast pulled him back under the water.

"NO!" Serena shouted. _Please come back up. Please still be alive._

"LUKE! KID - LUKE!" Han screamed, once more searching under the grimy water for the farm boy.

Chewie roared sadly, and Serena denied it. _No - no - NO. He's not dead. He can't be._

A gurgling sound could be heard and her eyes widened with horror, "Please don't tell me that he's gone..."

None of them responded, they just stared at the spot. A few bubbles were rising up.

Then, against all odds, Luke resurfaced, with no sign on the tentacle on him. Leia and Han, who were the closest to him, pulled him up out of the water quickly.

"What happened?" Leia asked.

"I don't know! It just let go of me and took off!" He coughed, gasping for breath.

"Are you alright?" Serena asked, concerned.

"I will be, just give me a minute." He said and continued to suck in deep breaths, glad to breathe again.

Another groaning sound could be heard and Han commented, "I have a bad feeling about this..."

"You're not the only one," Serena said, scanning the room for an exit.

She didn't have a lot of time, though, because Chewie howled as the walls started moving in.

"Damn it!" Han cursed, trying to slow the walls from crushing the group.

"Don't just stand there! Try to brace it with something!"

Serena ran over towards Leia and helped her lift the huge metal beam. It slowed the walls down a bit but they were still crushing the garbage and the group trapped inside.

"Try to stay on top of it!" Han shouted, helping Leia and Serena climb to higher ground. Luke didn't move, however. He just pulled out his comm unit and contacted C-3P0.

"Threepio? Threepio - are you there? Where could they be?" He said, upset that his droids weren't responding.

The garbage was squeezing the group together tightly, and it was getting increasingly uncomfortable. The garbage was crushing them slowly and Serena wanted to scream. She didn't want to die in a garbage chute. Of all the ways to die, this would be one of the most agonizing.

She closed her eyes, while still trying to keep the walls from moving in.

"Wait - Threepio?" She heard Luke say, and howl in triumph for a moment, "Shut up, will you? SHUT DOWN ALL THE GARBAGE MASHERS ON THE DETENTION LEVEL! SHUT THEM DOWN NOW, DO YOU HEAR ME?"

They all hoped it could be done in time. Serena felt their chances were slim; the walls were very close. A few more minutes and they would all be "a lot thinner", as Han put it.

The garbage squeezed them all uncomfortably tight, until it was suddenly stopped. They all just stared in amazement for a moment before squealing in triumph. They were able to climb out of the garbage and let out the breaths they had all been holding.

They hugged and cheered, even Han and Leia hugged one another, forgetting about their mutual animosity towards one another for the moment. Serena hugged Luke, laughing as he picked her up and swung her in a circle before putting her back down.

"No, Threepio, we're alright! You did great! Open the door and let's get out of here."

They all cheered once more as the door opened and they were able to escape from the horrible garbage masher.

* * *

><p><em>That's all for this chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it! The next chapter may take a while so please be patient with me. Let me know what you think! :) And thank you for reading.<em>


	5. A Tragic Loss

_Note: I had a lot of inspiration for this one story after watching Episode 4 last night! I am expecting to be updating this one more regularly than my other story at the moment! As always, a big thank you to everyone who reviews, favorites, alerts, etc. You all rock! :)_

_My apologies if the POV change confused any of you. I just really wanted to try it because stories that do always seem more interesting than ones that don't...at least in my opinion. And I also apologize for my terrible fight scene between Obi and Vader. I tried to make it better, but I just don't think it's very good...Anyways, hope you all enjoy despite this :)_

_And I may have slightly changed a little bit of one scene, but I don't think it was that bad (saves you all from reading incestuous things anyways...:P)_

_Disclaimer: I will never own Star Wars. Sadly, that honor belongs to George Lucas. But at least I own Serena and Tari :)_

**Chapter 5: A Tragic Loss**

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><p>Obi-Wan 'Ben' Kenobi crept through the halls, attempting to remain as inconspicuous as possible. The Imperials walking through the halls didn't even notice the old man, even though he was not dressed as an Imperial officer or a clone. He was stunned by their obliviousness, but was truly grateful that the Empire had not hired more competent officers. He knew he could not become too confident, however, since he could feel the presence of his former student, the Lord Darth Vader. 'Ben' knew that Vader was suspicious, and - though Obi-Wan had tried to hide his presence - the Sith Lord was too powerful in the Force not to notice that his former master was here...<p>

He hoped that they would not have to meet, as the events on Mustafar still haunted the old Jedi. How he wished he had been strong enough to kill Vader, but Obi-Wan had been unable to deliver the killing blow, and instead left his former pupil to die a slow - and surely agonizing - death. He had never expected Vader to survive. He allowed a monster to run free through the galaxy, and he could not help but feel responsible for each murder and atrocity Darth Vader had committed since that day.

Obi-Wan knew that - though Vader's senses were clouded by the Dark Side - the Sith would recognize the familiar presence of his former teacher soon, so the old Jedi rushed to ensure that he would disable the tractor beams so the rest of the group would still be able to escape. Though he had been trained his whole life to remain calm and peaceful, he could not help but feel nervous for the inevitable confrontation with his former student, even as he powered down the controls for the tractor beam. Greatly relieved that he was able to at least do that for Luke and the others, he reached for his blue lightsaber, just as he felt a powerful wave of rage ripple through the Force.

_So Darth Vader has finally discovered me_. He thought grimly, gripping his lightsaber in his hand, and preparing for his fight with the Sith Lord.

* * *

><p>Serena sighed as she was finally able to breathe in the fresh smelling air. It was nice to smell something other than garbage; she'd had enough of that smell to last a lifetime. She attempted to get some of the grime off, and looked at her clothes in distaste when she realized that the dirt would not come off without a good long wash. It was a shame; this had been one of her favorite outfits.<p>

Han grumbled after they all recovered, "Well, I suggest we ignore anymore female advice. Maybe if we do we'll be able to get outta here." He sent Leia one of his more obnoxious looks.

"If it wasn't for Leia, we'd still be stuck up there! Your plan would have gotten us killed," Serena retorted.

"Listen, sis, I could've killed all those clones if I wanted to, so don't pin all this on me," He shot back.

"Maybe if you weren't -"

"Look, you two, calm down. We've got to work together here, so fight later if you've got to," Luke cut in, somewhat awkwardly.

She sighed, "He's right."

Han simply did not respond.

Just then an alarm sounded and startled the already nervous wookiee. Chewie jumped and stood back, trying to get as far away from the noise as he could. Serena felt bad for Chewie. He was already on edge for their near-death experience.

"Where're you going?" Han smirked as the wookiee cowered in the corner. Chewbacca made it clear that he would not move until that noise stopped. Han sighed before aiming his blaster at the alarm.

"NO! DON'T THEY'LL HEAR!" Leia called out, but Han simply ignored her and shot at the alarm. It went dead silent but she was sure that the whole station heard the shot. Leia rolled her eyes and gritted her teeth, glaring at the smuggler. Serena just sighed, and Luke didn't make a comment.

"Come here, you big coward," Han gestured towards Chewbacca, who remained as far as he could from the alarm. The wookiee shook his head rapidly at the smuggler, who just glared back.

Leia jumped in then, saying the words with as much malice as she could muster, "I don't know who you are or where you came from, but from now on you'll do as I tell you. Okay?"

Serena and Luke had managed to convince the wookiee to come out of his hiding place while Han and Leia continued to argue. It seemed that was going to be a regular thing for the both of them.

"Listen here, your 'Worship'. Let's get one thing straight - I only take orders from one person..._me_!"

"It's a wonder you're still alive," the Princess shot back. Leia moved away only to notice Chewbacca walking right beside her. The Princess glared at the wookiee, "Will somebody get this big walking carpet out of my way?"

The rest of the group paused and stared at the Princess as she continued to walk.

"I can't believe she just said that," Serena mused, unsure whether to be insulted on Chewie's behalf or to laugh.

Chewbacca huffed, "_Walking carpet?"_

"Hey, don't be offended, Chewie, " Serena said, "She's just a little...upset."

"Understatement of the year," Han commented back, "No reward is worth this!"

Luke just shrugged at Han and continued to follow Leia. The rest followed behind him.

They thought that they would have to search for hours, but luck was with them. The _Millennium Falcon_ was closer than any of them would have thought.

"There she is," Han smiled at the familiar sight of the _Falcon_. He seemed relieved that the Imperials didn't damage the ship while he was away.

Luke pulled out his comm unit, "Threepio, do you copy?"

Serena could hear a faint voice but she couldn't quite understand what C-3P0 said. She focused her attention on the five stormtroopers guarding the entrance of the ship, "We could take those guys out pretty easily."

"There are probably more guarding the entrances," Leia reminded the younger Solo sibling, "We can't get cocky."

Serena noticed that Leia's last statement was accompanied by an annoyed look in her brother's direction. Han noticed too and gave the Princess his most dashing smile. Leia looked at him, sighed, and turned back towards the _Falcon_ and stared at it in shock, "You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought."

Serena couldn't suppress her laughter, while Han shot the Princess an indignant look, "Nice. Come on!" He led them out of the room and around the corner.

"Do you even know where you're going?" Luke asked, trailing right behind Han.

"I always know where I'm goin', kid."

Serena just grinned at this statement. Han had gotten them lost more times than she could count. Luke noticed her smirk, and smiled at her in understanding.

_He really does have a nice smile..._she found herself thinking, before shaking her head. Now was not the time for her to lose her focus. Luke sent her a puzzled look, and she found herself blushing. Serena had hoped the farm boy wouldn't notice the shaking of her head, but he had. She ignored Luke's puzzled look, and walked faster to keep him out of her sight.

_If I can't see him, he can't distract me._ She reasoned with herself, but still found herself thinking about Luke from time to time, even as she walked next to her brother. _Get him out of your head. You just met him!_

Han led them around the corner, and froze. There was a large group of stormtroopers blocking the group's path. Both sides simply stared at each other for a moment. Neither had been ready to fight.

The stormtroopers recovered from the shock first, "It's them! Blast them!"

Instantly, each member of the group with blasters - which was everyone except Princess Leia - shot at the stormtroopers. They were able to take down two of them before the stormtroopers decided to retreat. Han blasted one as the stormtroopers ran off, and called out back to them, "All of you, get back to the ship!"

"Han! No - stop!" Serena called out, attempting to run after her brother, but Luke pulled her back.

Chewbacca turned towards her quickly, "_I will go after him! Take them back to the ship!"_

The wookiee bolted after Han. Serena just stared, worried, and still wanted to follow the duo. Luke, who noticed her desire to help, quickly tried to convince her to move. They didn't have a lot of time.

"Serena, we've got to get moving! They wouldn't want you to stand here and get captured. They'll be fine."

She nodded, and heard Leia say, "Well, your brother certainly has a lot of courage."

"Yeah, hope that doesn't get him killed," Serena responded back, still concerned for the fate of her brother and Chewbacca.

"Come on," Luke grabbed both their hands and sprinted down the opposite hall.

They had run a good distance before hearing the distant footsteps of stormtroopers. Serena was glad they were following them though, because that meant less were after Han. The troopers were gaining fast, and the three were getting tired after their long sprint. Luke grabbed both of the girl's hands and practically dragged them down the corridor. Serena wondered how Luke could still run so fast; they had been running for a while.

Luke ran through a doorway but instantly stopped, almost losing his balance. Serena looked ahead as she and Leia helped Luke regain his footing. They were standing on a very small platform in front of a very deep pit. Serena looked down; she couldn't even see the bottom. The exit was on the other side - the side they weren't able to get to.

"I think we took a wrong turn," Luke said sheepishly.

Serena glared, "That's the last time I let you take the lead."

They all agreed the best course of action would be to turn around, but before they could leave, stormtroopers began firing at them, blocking their escape. Serena flinched and tried to get behind the wall for cover, but there wasn't a lot of space, considering the platform didn't extend much past the doorway. She pulled Luke back out of the line of fire, and Leia quickly shut the door.

"There's no lock!" Leia all but shouted, as she turned to Luke and Serena for help.

Luke gestured for Leia to get behind him with Serena. Leia obliged, moving away from the control panel as quickly as possible. Serena backed away to give Leia room. While the two girls stayed out of Luke's way, he shot at the control panel, ensuring - at least temporarily - that the stormtroopers would be kept away.

"That should hold 'em for a while," muttered Luke, as he searched for a way for them all to escape.

"Quick, we've got to get across. Find the controls to extend the bridge!" Leia ordered.

Luke turned back to the control panel, almost regretfully, "I think I just blasted them..."

Serena glared at Luke, "We've got to get out of here. That's not gonna hold 'em forever!"

"They're coming through!" Leia said, and surely enough, the stormtroopers were slowly getting the door to slide back up.

Each of the three began searching for any other way to escape, but were unable to find another set of controls. Serena felt even more nervous now. They all escaped so much together, only to be captured now? Leia seemed to have a similar line of thought, but, as Serena turned to Luke, she saw that he still hadn't lost hope. She was impressed. Luke still hadn't lost his nerve.

She looked up once more, encouraged by Luke's determination, only to see a small group of stormtroopers standing up upon a higher platform, "Look out!" She cried out as she pulled out her blaster rifle and fired. She missed, but caused the troopers to back away for a moment, giving Luke and Leia time to get cover behind the walls. The stormtroopers recovered quickly, and began blasting again. Serena backed away as one of the blaster bolts sailed right past her head; that was a little too close for comfort.

Luke had taken her place, and shot down one of the stormtroopers. The trooper screamed as he fell forward into the chasm, and Serena almost felt bad for him, until she remembered they had tried to kill them all multiple times just about an hour ago. It didn't seem to matter how many stormtroopers were shot down, though, as more continued to replace the fallen. Serena continued firing at them with Luke, but there were too many to hold off for much longer.

Luke seemed to have the same idea, as he handed his blaster to Leia. Serena just knew he had a plan; she just hoped his plan would work, and that they would have enough time to actually use it. Luke grabbed his grappling hook from his belt and stretched it as far as he could get it. Serena and Leia continued to fire at the stormtroopers while Luke tried to figure out where he could best make use of the grappling hook.

Serena heard the door move even further upwards, and Leia announced, "Here they come."

Luke seemed to move even faster, frantically adjusting the cord and hoping he would be able to do what he wanted to do with it. He let out a breath and threw the hook. It caught on his target and he let out a howl of glee as it stuck there. Luke checked to make sure that it would remain secure, and, after checking multiple times, he grabbed Leia and Serena around their waists and prepared to jump. Before he could, Serena turned to Luke and, not clearly thinking, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Immediately after she kissed him - even if it was only on the cheek - she felt her face flush, as Luke glanced at her in shock. Serena looked away, hoping to hide her red face. She knew one thing though, she didn't regret it. Not at all.

As she thought, Luke jumped, and she tightened her hold on him. With the three of them, each member of the group was worried that the cord wouldn't hold. They flew over the chasm in a matter of seconds, but Serena felt as if it was much longer. It was terrifying to be held up above a deep gorge by a single cord and she closed her eyes and prayed that Luke's idea would work. She didn't need to worry though, as they all landed safely on the other platform. She opened her eyes and let out the breath she had been holding.

Luke smiled at her, "Afraid of heights?"

She laughed quietly, still a little nervous, "Maybe a little."

Leia cut off the two, "Look, lovebirds, we need to get moving!"

Just as she said this, the stormtroopers finished breaking through the door and began to fire at the trio. Leia fired back quickly, covering Luke and Serena as they ran out of their line of fire. Leia followed right on their heels.

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan continued creeping through the halls, feeling, through the Force, all the life forms aboard the ship. The Jedi searched for the group he traveled with, and was relieved they had not listened to him when he told them all to remain in the room. If they had, they would have surely been caught. He knew the confrontation with Darth Vader was inevitable now, the Dark Lord knew of his presence now, and he could not escape his former apprentice. Vader may have been blinded by the Dark Side, but he was no fool.<p>

As Obi-Wan rounded the corner, he sensed a group of clones - stormtroopers as they were now called - running up the hallways and quickly ducked behind the wall. The stormtroopers ran past him, not even bothering to thoroughly search the room, for which the old Jedi was grateful for. He was not so certain in his skill with a lightsaber as he had been some eighteen years prior.

"We think they may be splitting up...they may be on levels five or six, but if we -" The stormtroopers said, their voices somewhat altered by the helmets they wore.

Obi-Wan reached out and sensed that the others were about to meet near the _Millennium Falcon_, right were Obi-Wan was heading, himself. He knew Vader was very close by; the darkness he had sensed earlier had doubled in strength and the former Jedi prepared himself for the confrontation.

All too soon, Obi-Wan froze. In front of him was the Dark Lord of the Sith, his former apprentice. _Darth Vader_. He stood with his lightsaber ignited, the red glow of the blade humming with power. Vader stared right at his former master, and moved closer to the seemingly frozen Jedi.

Obi-Wan knew it would be unwise to leave himself undefended any longer and ignited his blue blade. The lightsaber powered up, sounding through the oddly quiet halls. Obi-Wan slowly moved towards Vader.

"I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again, at last," Though Vader appeared to be calm and collected, Obi-Wan could sense his fierce anger, and desire for revenge. Vader continued, ignoring the Jedi's silence, "The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner, now _I_ am the master."

Obi-Wan calmly looked at the Sith, fighting to control his emotions at seeing his former Padawan turned into this monstrosity, "Only a master of evil, Darth," He retorted, and struck out at Vader, though Vader blocked the attack easily. Obi-Wan attempted to break the Sith's defenses, but Vader held strong and blocked each of the attempted hits. Obi-Wan wished he had kept in practice, as he could not move quite as fast as he used to be able to. Some of that could be accounted for by his age, but Obi-Wan had made a few mistakes he knew he wouldn't have made if he had stayed in practice. His only reassurance was that it seemed Vader did not keep in practice with his lightsaber either.

Their lightsabers clashed, emanating a sizzling sound each time the red and blue blades collided. Vader was allowing his anger to take control, and Obi-Wan knew that if Vader let his anger cloud his judgment it may give him an opportunity to land a blow. He would just have to wait for the Dark Lord to make a mistake.

Unfortunately, it was Obi-Wan who made the first mistake. He missed blocking one of the blows and was forced to jump back. Vader lashed out but, instead of hitting Kenobi like he had planned, he sliced at the wall, leaving a long mark seared through it.

"Your powers are weak, old man," Vader said disdainfully.

"You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine," Obi-Wan had accepted his death as soon as he realized that Darth Vader had discovered him.

Vader attacked once more, and Obi-Wan blocked the blow. Vader's anger was increasing after each missed blow, "You should not have come back..."

And with that, they once more engaged in a duel to the death...

* * *

><p>Luke, Leia, and Serena raced through the halls back to the <em>Falcon<em>. As they ran, Serena couldn't help but wonder what happened to her brother.

"Almost there!" Luke called back to them, and a few seconds after he said this the three of them ran headlong into Chewbacca and Han.

"What kept you?" Han smirked, and Serena felt so relieved to see them both alive and uninjured. She ran over and gave both of them quick hugs.

"Hey, what're you so worked up about? We're fine," Han said, after she let go of him. She could see that he was worried about them all too, though he tried to hide it; she knew him too well to believe he wasn't.

They all turned their attention towards the stormtroopers blocking their escape. If they fired at them, it might alert the others that were surely somewhere nearby.

Serena stared at the ship, "So, how're we gonna get to it?"

There was no need for any of the others to answer her. The stormtroopers seemed to notice something off in the distance and turned to face it. They all ran towards whatever had distracted them, leaving it clear for the group to sneak into the _Falcon_.

"Look!" Luke pointed, though his order was unnecessary. Serena was sure the whole group noticed that the guards had left their posts.

"Now's our chance - go!" Han ordered, watching the others move as quickly as possible towards his ship. Ironically enough, it looked like they wouldn't have to worry about finding Artoo or Threepio, as both droids were making their way to the ship, as well. Now all they had to do was wait for -

"Ben?" Luke said, stopping in his tracks and staring in the same direction the stormtroopers had been a few moments earlier.

Han, Leia, and Chewie still raced towards the ship, with Artoo and Threepio closely following behind. Serena stopped next to Luke, and felt her sudden elation come to a quick stop. Ben had made it back to the _Falcon_ but was caught in a duel with Lord Vader himself. She felt her legs grow weak from fear as she stared at Darth Vader. What she had previously seen in holograms was nothing compared to seeing him in the flesh. His long cape, black as night, flowed behind him as he met Obi-Wan's lightsaber with his own glowing red blade. He was covered in an entire black suit of...armor? She couldn't tell what the suit was for. Though the most recognizable feature was his black face mask and the loud constant breathing emanating from it. Rumors had circulated about that mask. Some said he wore it out of necessity - like some type of life support system - while others believed he wore it for intimidating purposes. Either way, anyone unfortunate enough to draw the attention of Lord Vader was sure to be in for a terrible punishment.

Suddenly, as if sensing their presence, Ben turned his head to face the two eighteen year olds, though he stared at Luke, mostly. She saw a small smile appear on his face before he raised his lightsaber up above his head. This gave Vader an opportunity Serena was sure the Dark Lord would take, and sure enough Vader seized the opportunity and sliced the old man through the center.

"NO!" Luke screamed, and Serena could almost feel his agony. She just froze. Ben's body disappeared! She didn't understand how it was possible, and Vader seemed just as puzzled. They should have taken the distraction of Vader and the stormtroopers to sneak aboard the _Millennium Falcon_, but both of them just stood there, too shocked to move.

The stormtroopers did not wait for them to recover, and began to fire at the two. Serena then felt herself snap back to reality. She could hear Han and Leia calling for them to run back to the ship. She suddenly realized the danger she and Luke were in and began returning fire to the stormtroopers. Luke seemed to snap out of his shock and fired back, though Serena could see the anger and grief expressed through his eyes.

They began to back up and try to get back to the _Falcon_ while dodging the blaster shots. Serena then noticed out of the corner of her eye that Vader had stopped inspecting Ben's remains, and turned to face them. She felt panic beginning to set in. How could they stop Vader?

"The door! Shoot the door!" Han's voice came through the chaos surrounding her. Luke, who had a better opportunity to hit the control panel, shot at it and successfully hit, causing the doors to close, trapping Vader on the other side...for the time being, at least. After this, Serena knew they had to get out of there as fast as possible and grabbed Luke's arm, forcing him to move back. He resisted at first. The farm boy seemed determined to kill as many stormtroopers as he could to avenge Ben's death.

"Come on, Luke!" She cried out, willing him to listen.

After a few more moments of struggling between the two, Luke finally agreed to move and they both fled into the safety of the _Millennium Falcon_.

* * *

><p><em>Well, there's chapter 5 for you all! I hope this was long enough since I've been told to write longer chapters, but this felt like the right place to stop. Thanks again to everyone for reading. :D<em>


	6. Escaping the Death Star

_I'm definitely having a lot more motivation for this story than my other! My other story, Destiny's Pawn, may have looooong pauses between updates and I apologize if anyone really liked it. I just don't have inspiration for it right now. This story's flowing through my head lol. The funny thing is that I thought this would be the harder story to write...shows how much I know :P_

_**I changed Han Solo's past, since I don't have an accurate amount of knowledge about it anyway. I figured since this was fanfiction, it would be acceptable. So disregard all of his past. There may be a few similarities of things I know, but it's not going to be exactly the same. :P **_

_**I also may have slightly extended the time it took for the group to travel to the Rebel Base, only because I wanted to add a little something there ;)**_

_Disclaimer: I can only wish I owned Star Wars. My only creations are Serena and Tari._

**Chapter 6: Escaping the Death Star**

* * *

><p>Luke continued firing at the stormtroopers as the two eighteen year olds entered the <em>Millennium Falcon. <em>Serena knew he must be grieving for Ben, and, as soon as Luke entered the _Falcon_ she made sure that she sealed the doors. She caught a sight of Luke's face for a moment. He was trying to keep his emotions in check, but Serena could tell Ben's murder at the hands of Darth Vader had affected him. The sudden stop of blaster fire let both of them relax for a short moment, before they were forced into action.

The ship began moving and - slowly but surely - Han directed the _Millennium Falcon_ out of the space station. Serena ran to the cockpit to find her brother and Chewie frantically flipping switches and trying to quicken their escape.

"Need any help?" She asked.

Han didn't respond right away, as he was so focused on leaving the station. He turned the _Falcon_ around and Serena sighed with relief as she caught sight of the stars in space. Han and Chewie also seemed to both relax instantly.

"Doubt we'll need your help now, sis, you couldn't -" Han was about to make a snide comment, as he usually did when they just escaped from a particularly dangerous mission, but the ship lurched as it felt the impact of blaster bolts from enemy fighters.

She couldn't resist to mock him before she left, "Looks like you'll be needing my help after all."

"Just get movin' to the turrets!" Han snapped and she started running, "And tell the kid to help you!"

As she left the cockpit, she saw Luke and Leia both looking stunned, but ready for action.

"Come on! Let's get to the turrets, there's not a lot of time!" She ordered, and Luke followed. Leia chose to go and help Chewbacca and Han in the cockpit.

They raced to the guns and strapped in. Serena clamored over the seat, and tried to prepare herself to fire at the Imperials as soon as they came into view. It wouldn't be easy. While their aim left something to be desired, the Imperials could dodge fire pretty well, "Farm boy, you in?" She hoped the farm boy was ready to do some shooting. They didn't have a lot of time.

"I'm in," He responded shortly, and just in time. Leia's voice came over the comm.

"Here they come."

Serena was ready, and not a moment later after Leia's warning a TIE fighter fired on the _Falcon_. What those Imperial pilots didn't realize was that they were now ready to fight back. As the TIE fighter flew past her viewport, she fired and the ship swerved in a too late attempt to dodge her fire. It's one wing broke off and the ship spiraled out of her view. She knew it was destroyed.

"Already got one," She said smugly.

"Don't get cocky, sis," Han chided. She knew he was right. The only reason that TIE fighter went down so quickly was because she surprised it. It was not going to be as easy to hit the next one.

"They're coming too fast!" Luke growled in annoyance, and she heard him firing rapidly at a TIE fighter out of her range. She waited but no more ships flew in her direction, she could only listen to the sounds of fighting on the other side of the ship. Suddenly, a ship flew past her, trailing smoke. She was ready to fire at it, but the ship exploded.

"Serena, a ship just flew in your direction -"

"I know. You destroyed it, it blew up before I could react."

"We've lost the lateral controls!" Leia's voice announced once again.

"She'll hold together," Han reassured through the comm and then his voice could be heard more quietly, as if he was mumbling, "Hear me, baby? Hold together."

They continued firing upon the TIE's, but the ships were moving faster than they had before. It was nearly impossible to get a good shot on them, or even enough time to fire. They would fly past so quickly, sometimes Serena didn't have time to react.

"Blast it, stop moving so damn quickly," Serena shouted, her frustration getting the better of her.

Luke's excited shout ended her frustration, "I got him! I got him!"

She laughed with relief. Finally one of the TIE's were destroyed. Hopefully the other would follow shortly behind.

"Hey, kid, what'd I say about gettin' cocky?" Han said.

"There's only one more left!" Leia said, and Serena could tell she was as anxious as the rest of them, despite her attempt to hide it.

"Where is it? I don't see anything?" Serena asked, as she frantically searched for the ship.

Han responded, "It's comin' your way! Get ready!"

The TIE came into view and Serena fired as quickly as she could. One of the shots hit the ship and sent smoke trailing from one of its wings, but the ship flew out of her sight before she could finish it off.

"Luke, there's a ship coming your way!"

"I see it," Luke acknowledged, and Serena could hear the blaster fire coming from both the TIE and Luke's turret. The fight was over in a matter of seconds as Luke shouted with joy that the ship was down, "That's it! We did it!"

Serena felt herself relax and sighed in relief. That was too close.

She heard Luke climbing down the ladder and figured she should leave the turrets as well. She crawled through, much slower than last time and climbed down the ladder.

As soon as she made it down, she went to the cockpit where Leia and Chewbacca were waiting for the both of them. They all ran towards each other and hugged with relief. They seemed to finally be out of danger. Han would have joined, but he was busy flying and putting as much distance as possible between them and the space station.

"I can't believe we did it!" Serena said, after the excitement dwindled. They were all still smiling widely.

"You both did good," Han said, smiling at Serena and Luke. They both beamed at the praise from Han. It was seldom given so openly.

* * *

><p>After the excitement of their escape, Serena found herself sinking down gratefully into her seat. While she usually complained that the seats aboard the <em>Falcon<em> were much too uncomfortable, she now found it to be extremely relaxing to sit in, especially after the kind of day she had.

Han, Chewbacca, Leia, and Luke remained in the cockpit. She could only imagine what they were doing in there. Chewbacca was probably checking the systems and ensuring nothing was permanently damaged. The most logical guess for Han and Leia would be that they were arguing...again. They'd only known each other for a few hours, and Serena shouldn't have been able to guess how they would react to each other's presence, but every time they were together one of them would start an argument.

She smirked, she could only imagine how irritated Han was with Leia. She was definitely a match for Han in wit and strength of character. Han wasn't used to dealing with someone who argued with him on a constant basis, aside from Serena, but that was typical on the _Falcon_. Leia was unpredictable, and Han didn't know how to handle it.

Luke...the farm boy was either trying to stop Han and Leia from arguing, or just minding his own business. He didn't seem to want to cause trouble, or join in it, so he might have just been ignoring it.

She closed her eyes as she thought of her companions. Artoo and Threepio were quietly chatting behind her. Threepio was complaining about something going wrong with his programming and seemed irritated with Artoo. She imagined the little astromech told him to shut up - and if Artoo did, she would personally thank him with a nice oil bath later.

As Threepio continued to rant, Serena felt her lids begin to close. She hadn't wanted to fall asleep, but the chair was so comfortable and it was so quiet...

"Serena?"

She jumped up, rapidly opening her eyes. As she realized there was no immediate danger, she felt irritation at the interruption of her sleep. She looked up at the stranger and saw light blue eyes staring at her. Luke's expression was a little guilty.

"Sorry. I didn't know you were asleep..."

"Don't worry about it, farm boy." He smiled at the nickname, as Serena attempted to wake herself up, "I was only out for a second...or at least I think I was."

"Wish I could sleep," Luke muttered and Serena had a sneaking suspicion that the reason for his restlessness was the death of his mentor, Ben. It had only happened a short while ago. She wanted to ask him what was bothering him and attempt to console him, but she was never good at those kinds of things. She imagined she would say something to make him feel even worse, so she kept her mouth shut.

A long silence stretched out, which wasn't entirely comfortable considering that they barely knew each other. They felt a closeness that came from fighting for their lives together, but they were still practically strangers.

Luke decided to break it, "While you were out here, you missed a good fight between Han and Leia."

She laughed, "That's nothing new. They're gonna kill each other someday. I've never seen Han get so angry with someone. She knows just how to annoy him." It was true. Han wasn't easily flustered or affected by criticism. Princess Leia certainly knew how to get a reaction out of Han, and Serena found it kind of amusing.

"They're definitely not the friendliest with each other, aren't they? While we were on the Death Star, before we escaped...before Ben," Luke's happiness dwindled away and his shoulders slumped. He sighed and never finished his sentence. He sat down next to Serena and stared off in the distance. Despite his attempts to hide his grief - and Serena's attempts to avoid this conversation - she could tell he wanted to talk about Ben's death. She knew that - even if she wasn't the best person to go to for comfort - Luke needed to talk to someone.

"Luke," She began, then paused. She didn't know how to word this, "I'm sorry."

_Well that was terrible. I knew this was gonna be a bad idea._

He looked a little embarrassed, "I shouldn't be so upset. I barely knew him. I only really got to know him after he rescued me out in the desert."

She stared at Luke in curiosity. She wanted to know more of the story, but wasn't sure how to ask. Thankfully, he seemed to notice her interest and began, "I guess I should tell you the whole story - if you want to hear it."

"Sure I do. Sounds interesting."

"Alright...I guess I should start with those two droids," He gestured to the still bickering droids in the corner, "My Uncle Owen and I were out looking for a pair of droids to help around the farm, so we decided to buy a few from the Jawas..."

He told her how both of the droids came into his possession and how he discovered a message imbedded with Artoo, but the droid didn't let him see it. He told her how Artoo ran off into the desert and he had to chase after him with Threepio. He found Artoo and as soon as he was ready to return to his Aunt and Uncle, he was attacked by Sand People and knocked unconscious.

"I can still feel the lump those Sand People left on my head," He said, wincing slightly as he rubbed where she assumed he was hit, "The only reason I'm still alive is thanks to Ben."

Then Luke told her about Ben admitting to being a Jedi and told her that Ben said he could become one too. Serena could only imagine Luke's excitement at the discovery and Serena smiled slightly as he seemed genuinely happy to relive the moment.

"Ben said my father was a Jedi," Luke mused, "Didn't he tell you your mother was one? I couldn't help overhearing..."

She laughed, "No. I think he said something about her being 'Force Sensitive'. She was a bounty hunter. My dad talked about her a lot."

"Never met her?"

"No, and I never will. She's dead."

Luke nodded, "Mine too. So is my father."

"Yeah, my dad died eight years ago." Serena suddenly wanted to change the subject. Family was a sore spot for her. As far as she was concerned, Han was her only family.

Luke seemed to agree and he continued his story. He told her how terrified he was when he realized that the stormtroopers chasing the droids would be led right to his home and he raced back, in a futile attempt to save his Aunt and Uncle. His grief was plain to see as he told her he was too late. She again found herself wishing she could comfort him. She didn't know he lost so much.

"So," Luke said after he finished, "What's your story?"

She paused and considered where to begin. It wasn't as interesting as he seemed to think, "Well, Han and I lived on Corellia with our dad. It wasn't the best place to grow up, but it wasn't bad, all things considered - we lived in the slums."

"Sounds rough."

"Not really. Not until dad died. Han practically took care of me after that, since I was only ten. I guess it might have been rough for him. I probably wasn't the easiest kid to take care of, and I couldn't help him make money. One day I guess Han just got fed up of working for such a low pay in the slums and decided to sneak off world on one of the passenger ships. That ship was heading for Carida - we didn't know since we had to hide where they stored the cargo. I'm actually surprised that we weren't caught..."

She continued to tell Luke about how when they managed to sneak off the ship, and how shocked they were when they saw Carida. Neither of them had seen anything like it before, while being stuck on Corellia their whole lives. She told him how Han tried to find work there, and didn't get much luckier. Eventually, just after Serena turned twelve, Han enlisted into the Imperial Academy.

Luke snapped, "The _Imperial_ Academy? Your brother was an _Imperial_?"

"Let me explain," She attempted to soothe Luke. The farm boy was understandably a little irritated, "Han was an Imperial, and a damn good one too for a while. He didn't agree with most of what his commanding officers ordered, but what could he do? He needed the money they provided to put food on the table. Besides, it wasn't without its benefits. They taught him how to fly, and that's where he discovered his talent. He would always talk about flying when he came back, like it was the best thing in the world. I think he even was awarded a few times for excellent service."

Luke still seemed a little agitated, but he had calmed down a little. She figured after he heard this next part he would calm down, "He managed to stay there for a while - almost a year, actually - before he finally had enough of the Imperials. He was on patrol duty and saw some Imperial soldiers brutally beating a wookiee. I'll let you guess who the wookiee was."

Luke remained silent, but she knew he was putting the pieces together, "Poor Chewie was beaten with a neuronic whip. I was told those things could cut your skin and electrocute you all at once. They're extremely painful. I guess those Imperials thought it was the best way to teach Chewie how to behave," Serena scowled, "They didn't think that Han would stop them. While Han distracted the soldiers, Chewbacca managed to escape. Han was kicked out the next day, and Chewie found Han right as he came home."

That was the day Chewbacca swore a life-debt to her brother and became a permanent part of their lives. She continued telling Luke her story for what seemed to be hours. She told him how they all ended up on Tatooine smuggling for Jabba, and Luke told her how he learned to fly. She found herself to actually enjoy talking to him. He was friendly and he was charming, in his own way.

They were both a little disappointed when Leia announced that they were nearing the Rebel Base. Luke and Serena both reluctantly ended their discussion and entered the cockpit.

"It'll be nice to stop running from the Imperials for awhile," Serena commented as she saw Leia staring at Yavin IV.

"I wouldn't say we'll be safe," Leia responded, while continuing to stare at the planet.

"What do you mean?"

Leia looked at her in confusion, before realizing that Serena hadn't been in the cockpit when she announced her discovery, "I think the Imperials are tracking us. It's the only way to explain how easy our escape was."

Serena was alarmed, but before she could respond Han interjected, "Look, sister, I told ya once and I'll tell ya again. This ship ain't bein' tracked."

Serena just rolled her eyes as they began to bicker once again. She turned her gaze towards Yavin, and watched as they moved closer and closer to the rebel base below.

* * *

><p><em>Glad this chapter's finally finished. In case you didn't read the note above and are irritated I changed Han's past I didn't know it well enough to include, so I did my best :P. Thanks to everyone for reading, reviewing, etc! I'll see ya when I update next :D<em>


	7. The Rebel Base

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed, read, favorited ,etc. I love you all!_

_Disclaimer: Clearly I don't own Star Wars. I do, however, own Serena and her mother, Tari :)_

**Chapter 7: The Rebel Base**

* * *

><p>As they approached the landing zone, Serena took in the scenery of the planet below. It was a lush planet, which she didn't expect. Since she had never been to Yavin before, she was unprepared for what she would see. Serena thought the planet would be barren, and she was glad to be proven wrong. She hated the heat of Tatooine and knew that if Yavin was all desert that she would dislike it too.<p>

Luke seemed enthralled with the greenery. She knew that he hadn't seen much else other than sand on Tatooine, so this experience would have been shocking for him. She remembered when she had first gone to Tatooine. She had the same reaction as Luke was currently having towards Yavin, but after the shock wore off, she realized that she despised the constant heat the twin sun's gave off.

"We're about to land. Might wanna go greet your fellow rebels, _Your Worship_" Han said, cutting off Leia's retort to one of his comments. The Princess just huffed and exited the cockpit.

"Han, why do you have to provoke her?" Serena asked, exasperated.

"_She's_ the one doin' the provokin'."

Serena rolled her eyes, "How old are you? Three? Just try to -"

Chewbacca roared, cutting off an argument between the Solo's, "_We've landed."_

Serena hadn't even felt their landing. She was preoccupied with looking around with curiosity. The Rebel base wasn't even remotely as large as the last she'd seen on that Imperial space station, but it was still pretty remarkable that the Rebels could keep a base as large as this out of the Imperial's sight. She'd often thought of the Rebels as careless, but as she laid her eyes on their base she had to admit that she was impressed.

Han sighed, "Let's move. Sooner we get outta here, the sooner I'll get my reward."

"Leia's right. That's all you ever think of, isn't it?" Luke glared and quickly left the cockpit. Han didn't seem affected by Luke's statement and Serena just rolled her eyes. She knew Han better than most, and knew he had a good heart. Her brother just preferred to keep it hidden.

"Well, we might as well follow them." Serena then turned and also left the cockpit. She wanted to catch up with Luke and try to calm him down. She knew he didn't quite understand Han yet, and wanted to help him understand why her brother acted like he did.

As she exited the _Falcon_ she saw rows of X-Wing fighters packed within the base. The Rebels filled the base to capacity and still seemed to squeeze a few more in. Everywhere she turned there was a Rebel X-Wing parked and a Rebel pilot making repairs to the older ones.

Luke, Leia, and the two droids were standing and talking with a few Rebels. Well, Leia was doing most of the talking. Luke was examining the X-Wings with a look of pure joy upon his face. Any irritation the farm boy felt for Han just seemed to disappear as he looked at the ships.

"Like what you see?" She smiled at Luke's startled face.

He relaxed as he saw her amusement and responded, "I've always loved flying."

"I can tell. I wish I could fly ships well."

"You can't?"

Serena flushed. She realized that she'd never mentioned her lack of flying skills, "Well...no. Han was always disappointed that I never had the potential. Most likely, if you let me fly your ship, it'll end up wrecked a few minutes later."

He laughed, "You can't be that bad."

"Wanna bet?" Han's voice came from behind them, "I let her fly the _Falcon_ once - biggest mistake in my life."

"I _didn't_ wreck the _Falcon_, though." Serena argued.

"Only cause Chewie was there." Han retorted, and turned to Luke, "I was this close to losin' the _Falcon_." He pinched his two fingers together, leaving a small amount of room between them.

Chewbacca roared in acknowledgment. Luke laughed.

Serena just huffed, "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up."

Luke, Han, and even Chewbacca - much to Serena's surprise - ignored her embarrassment and continued to laugh at the younger Solo. Serena glared at them, but the men laughed even harder. With a roll of her eyes, Serena decided she would go talk with Leia, since the Princess was standing by herself not far off. The Rebels Leia had been talking to previously were nowhere to be seen.

"So where'd they go?" Serena asked Leia; there was no need for her to specify 'they'. Leia knew who she was referring to.

"Off to tell the commander that we've arrived. They asked us to wait here until someone can take us where we need to go."

"Oh," Serena said, then paused. She didn't know what to say to Leia. Truthfully, they'd barely spoken at all. The young smuggler didn't want to go back to Luke, Han, and Chewie, since they seemed to be discussing the X-Wing fighters, and Serena knew she wouldn't have a clue what to say. She tried to think of some way to start a conversation.

Leia surprised Serena when she asked, "Are you planning on staying with the Rebellion?"

"Me?" Serena asked dumbly. She really hadn't considered it, "I don't really know, to be honest, but I doubt I will. I know Han won't, and I can't just leave him. Like it or not, he's my brother."

Leia nodded, "I understand that, I suppose. You should stick by your family..." She trailed off, a pained look upon her face.

Serena looked at Leia with sympathy. She knew it had to be painful to lose your family so suddenly, "I'm sorry about Alderaan."

Leia glanced at her and nodded. Serena was, once again, glad that she would not have to do a lot of comforting. Leia seemed reluctant to talk about it anyway, so Serena quickly changed the subject.

"How long does this usually take?"

"I doubt we'll have to wait long. The information I have is vital to the Rebellion. They won't make us wait for long."

"Ah, alright. Good."

Another long pause. Luckily, Serena didn't have to try to continue the conversation because the Rebels finally arrived with a large vehicle. Leia was the first to get on and sit down; the Princess gestured for the others to follow. Serena sat down next to Leia, with Han on her other side. As the vehicle moved, Serena saw that a large number of Rebel pilots were entering the hanger. She didn't know what they were up to, but it looked like they were planning a huge attack.

Serena knew that these people were desperate. Though they seemed to appear calm and collected, they were all vastly outnumbered by the Empire. Even if these men - and women - were more skilled than the Empire's many stormtroopers, Serena felt that the Rebels barely had a chance. Perhaps she was just a pessimist, but she knew that without the clever minds of the Rebellion's leaders, the Empire would have destroyed it a long time ago.

Serena felt the vehicle stop, and Leia instantly jumped off, a big smile upon her face. The young smuggler wondered who Leia was smiling at when she saw an older man with grey hair and a friendly, if slightly chubby, face. She assumed he was one of the Rebellion's leaders, or at least an important member, since he was greeting Princess Leia herself.

"I'm glad you're here. We feared the worst...especially after we heard of Alderaan." He said, hugging Leia. He briefly acknowledged the others with a nod of his head and a brief smile.

Leia brushed off the sympathy, as if preferring to avoid the topic, "We have no time for our sorrows, commander. We must see to getting the information from that Artoo unit to plan our attack. It's our only hope now."

At that comment, Artoo beeped loudly and jumped up and down. Serena smiled at the little droid.

The commander who remained unnamed nodded at Leia. He gestured to a few of the Rebels standing by and they all quickly rushed to Artoo. They picked up the little droid, ignoring Threepio's startled objections, "Be careful with him. He has seen a lot."

Serena rolled her eyes at the protocol droid. He was so...demanding. Han rolled his eyes alongside Serena and Luke noticed how similar the two siblings seemed at that moment. He grinned, ignoring the questioning looks both of the Solo's gave him.

"Please follow me," The commander ordered them all. He led them into a large room that the Rebels seemed to use for mission debriefings. It was already filled to capacity and Serena's eyes widened at the large amount of Rebels dressed in their pilot gear. She, Chewbacca, Luke, and Han were all forced to stand in the back, as there was simply no room left to sit down. Han rolled his eyes, clearly impatient to get his reward and leave; he leant against the wall with his arms crossed. Serena was reminded of an irritated child who didn't get their way. She laughed at Han's actions, and Chewbacca sent her a knowing look.

Luke was Han's exact opposite. He seemed thrilled to be there, and actually interested in what was about to take place. He also leaned against the wall, but his eyes were wide and he waited patiently for the debriefing to begin.

Serena sighed, feeling boredom beginning to creep in. She understood why Han was so impatient; she knew neither of them would be staying to help the Rebels. The girl felt a little guilty about it. After all, she felt that they would be quitting early after already being involved so far. She knew she would follow Han, whatever his choice, but she also knew that she would feel the guilt for abandoning the Rebels for a long time after she left.

Serena had been so lost in her thoughts, she had missed the beginning of the demonstration. She tried to pay more attention to the man speaking, "...with a small, one-man fighter it may be possible to sneak past the Death Star's defenses and get close enough to deliver the finishing blow."

Han rolled his eyes. Serena did find it to be a desperate plan, and she noticed many of the pilots murmured to each other, their faces showing a little anxiety at performing such a task.

"With all due respect , sir, " said one of the pilots sitting in the front, "How could a one-man fighter destroy such a massive station?" Others muttered their agreement.

"The Empire hasn't considered a small, one man fighter able to penetrate their defenses. There is a vulnerable spot located within the Death Star. The Empire has weak defenses in that area, and this is where you should be able to strike. It is only two meters wide. It's a thermal exhaust port, but with enough firepower it could generate a reaction that will destroy the station."

"Hell of a long shot," Han muttered, and Chewie growled in agreement.

"Remember, only a precise hit will cause the chain reaction. It's ray shielded so you'll have to use proton torpedoes."

"That's impossible!" The Rebel pilot next to Luke muttered, an irritated look upon his face, "Even for a computer."

Luke shoot his head, "No, it's not. Trust me, I used to bulls-eye womp rats all the time in my 3-16 back home, and they're less accurate."

Serena was still skeptical of the plan, and many others seemed just as skeptical as she was. Unfortunately, none of them had any better plan at the moment.

"Then man your ships...and May the Force Be With You."

Everyone stood up, and Serena heard the pilots discuss how ridiculous the plan was. What she admired, though, was that each one of them followed their orders dutifully, even though they disagreed. Perhaps they were hopeful that they could defy the odds, and Serena hoped they would be so lucky.

"I'm going with them," Luke said, determinedly. Han looked at the farm boy in disbelief.

"Luke, that's suicide! There's such a small chance of success!" Serena said, hoping to talk him out of his plan.

He glared at her, "I'm going, Serena. Why do you care anyway? You're gonna be leaving with your money soon enough." With that last comment, he stormed off, and Serena suddenly felt the guilt intensify. She hang her head, and Han placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"C'mon, sis, don't let the kid get ya down. He just needs to cool off."

"I hope so," She muttered, and followed Han and Chewbacca to the _Falcon_, to help them prepare to leave.

* * *

><p>"<em>All fighters man your stations."<em> A voice ordered over a loud intercom as Serena helped Han load his reward into his ship. The Rebels were very generous to the smuggler, and Han's eyes positively lit up at the sight of such treasures. He had enough to pay off Jabba, and then keep some for himself. While Han was in heaven, Serena sat down glumly. She watched the Rebel pilots scamper off into their ships, making last minute adjustments and checking to ensure everything was functioning normally. She also secretly was looking for Luke; she didn't want to leave without saying a proper goodbye.

Serena sighed as Han called out to her, "Hey, sis, don't just sit there. There's credits to carry!" She rolled her eyes affectionately and moved to help Han. She was picking up one of the final boxes. Soon there wouldn't be a reason to remain at the Rebel base. She couldn't leave yet. Not without saying goodbye to Luke...

As she turned, she heard Han shout, "Hey, kid!" Serena almost dropped the box of credits. Han certainly wouldn't have been pleased to learn that she had spilled all of his new credits all over the floor of the hanger. She set the box down next to Chewie, and the wookiee growled at her, "_Serena, are you not going to carry that?_"

She waved him off, "I'll come back for it. I just have to do something first."

She heard Chewbacca mumble, "_Lazy girl_" and she smiled a little at his obvious frustration. She knew that Chewie ended up picking up the box of credits, because she heard him continue to grumble.

She turned and saw Luke talking with Han. He still seemed a little irritated, "Oh. I see you've got your reward and you're all ready to go?"

"That's right. Yeah." Han muttered, looking at Luke in irritation, "There's some old debts I've gotta pay off. Even if I didn't, I'd be an idiot to stick around here, wouldn't I?"

She shot Han a venomous look, which he ignored. She wanted to calm Luke down, not make him even angrier at them all.

Luke remained silent, glaring at the floor. He didn't even look at Serena. Han turned, as if he suddenly had a great idea, "Why don't you come with us?"

Serena nodded. If Luke came with them, she knew she wouldn't be quite as worried for the Rebels, as much as she knew that was selfish. She really was only worried for Luke, and even Leia to an extent. The problem with Leia was that Serena knew she would not abandon the Rebellion. Perhaps Luke could be convinced to come with them.

"Come on! Do you really think I'll abandon these people? Why don't you stay? They could use a great pilot like you."

Serena jumped in, "Farm boy, there's a high chance that you won't be coming back from this fight. Do you wanna risk that?"

Luke stubbornly set his jaw, "Yes. I do. They're fighting for something important," Luke still seemed to want to try to persuade them to stay, "If you stay, their chances of success would be better."

"What's the point of a reward, if I ain't around to use it?" Han said, refusing Luke's offer, "Besides, attackin' that battle station ain't my idea of courage. It's suicide."

"Fine. I get it. You've got your money; that's all that matters. Take care of yourselves, I guess that's what you're best at." Luke finished venomously and stormed off. Serena knew that if she didn't chase after him, that would be how they parted, and she couldn't bear to leave it at that.

"Luke! Wait!" She called out. He seemed intent upon ignoring her, but she continued to follow him through the base.

"Luke Skywalker, stop this minute!" She ordered, and her tone of voice caused him to pause for a brief moment. It was all Serena needed, because she stood in front of him and blocked off any attempt for him to evade the conversation, "Look, farm boy, I wanna talk to you."

"What else is there to say? You've both made your points."

"Look, I don't wanna leave like that. I know you're mad at us, but you're going up against pretty poor odds, and I want to tell you goodbye...just in case."

He relaxed a little, but she could still see he was irritated. Eventually, though, he nodded at her, "Alright. I guess that makes sense." He smiled at her slightly, and extended his hand, "Good luck, Serena."

She smiled back and accepted Luke's hand, "See ya, farm boy." He rolled his eyes at the nickname but he was still smiling. Before he could walk off, Serena leant up and kissed him on the cheek, in the same place she kissed him before on the Death Star, "Good luck. I'm rooting for you."

He flushed and touched his cheek, looking at her in shock. She smiled at him and walked back in the direction of the _Falcon_. She heard Luke sigh wistfully in her direction - or perhaps she just hoped he was sighing wistfully.

She desperately wanted to stay. She knew she would miss Luke terribly. Serena thought that making amends with Luke would ease her guilt about leaving, but saying what seemed to be a final goodbye made her wish she could stay with him longer. She walked quickly back to the _Falcon_, never looking back, because she knew if she did she would end up staying behind.

Han looked at her with a knowing smile on his face, "You all done? Gonna miss your 'farm boy'?"

"_My_ farm boy?" She questioned. Serena didn't like where Han was taking this conversation.

"You've got it bad for him, don't ya?" He smirked once again and she slapped Han on the arm.

"No! I was just worried about him!"

"Riiiight." He drawled out the last word and Serena gritted her teeth. She knew her face was now pink and Chewbacca barked out a chuckle. She glared at the wookiee but Chewie continued laughing, ignoring her embarrassment.

"C'mon you two. We've gotta get goin' if we wanna get Jabba off our backs."

"Yeah. I guess," Serena said reluctantly and entered the _Falcon_. Han followed and Chewbacca brought up the rear. They all sat down in the cockpit.

"Everything ready?" Han asked Chewbacca.

The wookiee grunted in affirmation, "_Everything is ready._"

"Good. Then let's get outta here."

The _Falcon_ began to take off, and Serena looked out of the front window. She could see Luke and Leia standing together, watching them take off. She bit her lip; the guilt would be bothering her for a long time. She glanced at Han, and he seemed determined not to look at either of their former companions and turned the _Falcon_ away so Serena could no longer see them. She sighed and watched as they began moving further and further from the Rebel Base, and into space.

* * *

><p><em>Well, this took me a while to write, but I suppose you are all getting used to that lol :P Again, thanks for reading and I would appreciate a review, just to let me know you like it. More reviews encourage me to write faster! :D May the Force be With You all!<em>


	8. Guilt

_*Sigh* I know I keep apologizing for being late - and I mean it, really - but I just seem to take longer and longer to update, don't I? Well again, I'm sorry for the long wait, but here's the chapter! :D (finally)._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, but you all knew that. _

**Chapter 8: Guilt**

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><p>Han continued to stare out in space, but Serena noticed that her brother seemed a little more tense than usual. Perhaps people who didn't know him well wouldn't have noticed the difference, but Serena was not one of those people. From the way her brother refused to look in her direction, and the way he seemed extremely intent upon staring at the stars, she knew he felt just as guilty as she about leaving. Serena considered asking him to turn around, but she didn't know if he would listen. One thing she hated most about Han was his stubbornness. When he believed he was right, he wouldn't relent to anyone, not even when he was proven wrong time and time again.<p>

"Han?" Serena said, softly.

Han glanced in her direction, then turned back towards the window, "Yeah?"

"How long do you think they'll last against the Death Star?"

He sighed, and didn't respond for a long while. Serena waited patiently for his answer.

"Did you hear me? I said -"

"I heard ya. Honestly? Not long. It's gonna be quick and messy."

Serena bowed her head, the desire to return and help the Rebels was becoming overwhelming. Perhaps she was wrong about Han secretly wanting to turn back, because he turned away and shrugged as if it was no problem.

"Look, sis, I know you wanna turn back. Even Chewie here has been glarin' holes in the back of my head."

Chewie roared in objection, but Han interrupted him, "Don't deny it, fur ball, I know you were glarin'."

Chewie grumbled to himself, and Serena responded instead, "Well, why don't you? Call me crazy, but it looks like you wanna go back too."

Han laughed, but it seemed weak compared to his usual laughs, "Why would I wanna go back to a bunch of Rebels about to head out on a suicide mission? I know the only reason you wanna go back is because of the kid."

Serena glared at Han, "Would you stop that? It's not just because of Luke."

_But that might be a huge part of it_. Serena thought to herself.

"Admit it, you and the kid had somethin' goin' on, and now you're mad 'cause I spoiled it."

"Well," Serena tried to scramble to find something to use against Han, "what about you and Leia?"

Han turned to face Serena, "What about it?"

"I saw the way you looked at her. I know you, Han. You like her."

"You're crazy," He said, brushing off her comment.

"Am I? Come on, Han. If you go back, just imagine her reaction. She'd be _so_ grateful..." Serena only hoped she was correct in her assumptions of her brother's feelings towards the Princess.

Han grunted, but seemed to be considering what Serena was saying.

She knew that she'd made progress , and now she would just have to bribe him once again, like Luke did on the Death Star, "I'm sure the Rebels would reward you greatly for your help."

Han sighed. He seemed conflicted in his decision, "I'm pretty sure I cleaned them out. They won't have any credits to give."

"Han, I doubt the Rebels gave you all their credits. They'll need them for funding, after all. If you help them, I'm sure they'll double your original price in gratitude.

"_If_ we get back alive." He retorted, smirking. He wouldn't give in so easily.

"Aren't you the best pilot in the galaxy? Are you gonna let a little challenge get in your way? Guess I was wrong about that."

"Look, sis, I _am_ the best pilot, but that doesn't mean -"

"Come on, Han. I know you want to help them. Why are you being so damn stubborn about this?"

"Paying off Jabba's too important."

"Please. What's that Hutt gonna do? The Rebels will surely protect us, and they're a lot stronger than Jabba's bounty hunters."

Han paused, taking a long while to consider her argument. He truly did want to help the Rebels, and Serena made good points. It was getting harder and harder for him to argue with her any longer, and so he finally sighed.

Serena's face lit up; she knew that Han finally gave in to her argument, and hugged him, "Thank you, Han!"

"I'm only doin' this for the credits."

_Right._ She thought to herself, still beaming.

Chewbacca whispered to her, "_I am shocked you convinced him. I am impressed._"

"Thanks," She muttered back, "It helped that he actually wanted to go back anyway. If he didn't, there's no way he'd have turned back."

"Y'know I can hear ya, right?" Han scolded both of them, but he was smirking, "We're gonna have to hit lightspeed and head back, so get in your seats."

Serena rushed into the empty seat next to Chewie and secured herself in it. Chewbacca did the same, roaring with frustration as he struggled to get the belt around his huge frame. Serena chuckled at his frustration and helped him fasten the belt.

As soon as Chewie was secured, Han pulled the switch and hit lightspeed. Serena always thought going into lightspeed was amazing to see, the stars stretched into bright lines and she never got tired of seeing it, even though she'd gone through lightspeed countless times in the past.

"Just hope we get there in time..." Han mumbled.

Serena responded, "We will."

"Hope you're right."

_Me too._

* * *

><p>After a short while, the <em>Falcon<em> exited lightspeed...right in the middle of the battle. Imperial TIE-fighters were flying left and right, and Serena gasped as she watched them destroy one of the Rebel's X-Wing fighters.

"I'm gonna try to find their communications channel. Serena, get on those turrets and try to keep the Imperials off us! Chewie, help me pilot this damn ship!"

Serena didn't hesitate and rushed towards the guns. She quickly prepped the weapon and scanned the area for TIE fighters. She remembered how hard it was to hit them when they escaped the Death Star. There was a difference, though. This time she was prepared to fight them and she would win.

_Hold on farm boy. We're coming._

Serena began firing at the TIE-fighters, noticing that her aim at them was a little better than before. She learned that she would have to aim a little ahead of where they were flying in order to get the most accurate shots.

Serena jumped when she heard a voice from behind her, causing her to miss one of the TIE-fighters she was about to shoot, "Keep hittin' 'em, sis. I've got the other side."

She smiled when she heard Han. He must have left Chewie in charge of flying the ship, and Chewie was a great pilot. Not quite as good as Han, but then few were. The two siblings had to constantly update each other on the location of the TIE-fighters, while Chewbacca attempted to warn them if any were approaching. The trio made quite a team and the TIE-fighter pilots never stood a chance.

"Chewie, what're they sayin' on the channel?" Han inquired, as he attempted to provide cover for one of the X-Wing fighters that began to trail smoke. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to save the pilot's life and the X-Wing exploded in a flash of bright orange light.

"Damn, I sure hope that wasn't the kid."

Serena winced at Han's words. Unfortunately, the truth was that Luke was in a lot of danger and he could have already been killed. Still, she couldn't quite find it in herself to believe that Luke was shot down so easily. If he was to be believed, Luke was a great pilot and he'd be able to dodge most of the incoming fire...or so she hoped.

"_That was not Luke. He is still alive._" Chewie roared through the speakers. Serena and Han both relaxed significantly at the news that their friend was alright. They were renewed with energy and the will to find him.

"Chewie, try and find out where the kid's at. We're gonna go and help him."

Chewbacca barked an acknowledgement and listened through the channel, hoping to pinpoint Luke's exact location. Many of the Rebel pilots seemed panicky and unorganized, and a lot of the pilots stopped responding, which caused the still living ones to lose their nerve. Chewbacca was about to let out a roar of frustration when he heard Luke's voice, "_We're going in full throttle. Gotta keep those fighters off our back!"_

Chewie eagerly began to attempt to pinpoint Luke's exact location, while he began flying closer and closer to the Death Star by the minute. The wookiee knew Luke had to be somewhere near the enormous space station, he just didn't know where he was. After tracing Luke's ship, Chewbacca learned that he was approaching the reactor system. The mission was riding on the wookiee's ability to fly in and help the pilots who were left.

"_We are approaching the Death Star. Be prepared._"

Han and Serena both gripped the turrets tighter, and attacked with renewed intensity. Chewbacca skillfully maneuvered the _Falcon_ through the TIE-fighters, not giving any of them the time to attack. While the _Falcon_ certainly didn't look like much, it certainly was a fast and agile ship when necessity called for it to be.

"_Fighter's coming in."_ Chewbacca heard Biggs' voice come in through the channel. He constantly announced the news to the Solo siblings, who both swore in irritation.

"We gotta get there sooner, Chewie! They're not gonna last long with fighters on their backs!" announced Serena, as she destroyed one of the fighters attempting to halt the trio's speedy trip towards the Empire's most powerful weapon.

Not long after the announcement of the fighters did Chewbacca learn that Wedge' ship was damaged, and the pilot was forced to flee. He let out a worried growl and flew as quickly as he could manage. Fortunately, the other two pilots, Luke and Biggs, were able to dodge most of the fire coming from the Imperials. The only question was how long could they do it?

"Keep fightin', kid, we're comin' as fast as we can." Han mumbled, finally getting a break as they entered the Death Star. The TIE's seemed more interested in taking out the Rebel pilots threatening to destroy their battle station, and so the trio of smugglers was spared some of their fire.

"_Hurry up, Luke! Wait...WAIT!" _Then Biggs' voice was gone, and the smugglers all deflated at the loss of Biggs. That meant that there was nothing protecting Luke from the Imperials fire, and that if they didn't get there in time, Luke was going to die. Serena scanned the galaxy from the small window near her turret, hoping that she would stop those fighters chasing after Luke and stop them from killing the farm boy. If Luke failed, so did they all.

Luckily, it seemed that Chewbacca was catching up with Luke, he only needed a few more minutes in order to reach their destination in time. If Luke could just hold on a bit longer...

"_Luke, you've switched off your targeting computer, what's wrong?"_

The smugglers exchanged a worried look.

"_Nothing. I'm alright._"

Serena let out the breath she had been holding. Still, she wondered what Luke was thinking, switching off his targeting computer like that. He must have had a reason...

"_I've lost Artoo!"_

"That's not good..." Serena muttered worriedly, even though Chewbacca and Han both attempted to reassure her that they would save Luke. One good shot and he would be dead, and the mission would fail, along with the Rebellion.

"There they are!" Han shouted excitedly, and frantically shot at the rightmost ship. It was not expecting to be fired upon and was destroyed easily. Han let out a whoop of victory and Serena found herself grinning widely and shot at the other ship. While it was not quite as easy to take down - considering it saw the other be destroyed - she still was able to take out the ship and further ensure Luke's safety. However, they both shot at the middle ship and whoever was piloting it was very skilled. He dodged a few of the blasts, but eventually the other ship Serena had shot crashed into the skilled pilots and he was sent flying into space. She considered asking Chewie to go after him and finish the job, but they had to make sure that Luke would remain safe, and so she said nothing. The young smuggler figured that one Imperial would not be such a big threat.

"You're all clear, kid. Now let's move it so we can go home!" Han responded through the channel, though he had kept silent for a long while. Serena felt it was appropriate for her to respond too.

"Hurry Luke. I doubt there's a lot of time left!"

Luke wasted no time and instantly sent out the missiles. They all watched with baited breath as the two missiles sailed from Luke's ship, directly into the Death Star's most vulnerable area. Luke instantly flew his ship out of the path of the explosion, followed closely by Chewbacca as the Death Star exploded in a bright flash. A ring of pure energy burst from the station and Serena couldn't hold back a cry of victory. She left her position at the turret and hugged her brother fiercely, suddenly feeling all the anxiety and tension slip away at the Rebels unlikely victory. Han laughed and hugged her back, mumbling to himself all the while, "I didn't think they'd actually do it."

"Great shot, kid. That was one in a million!" Han congratulated Luke as he and Serena both returned to the cockpit, where Chewie was eagerly waiting. Serena hugged the wookiee fiercely and whispered, "Great flying, fur ball. You're amazing!"

Chewie thanked her awkwardly and returned to his position as co-pilot when Han took over.

"Guess we're headin' back to the base, huh?" Han smiled at his little sister.

She smiled back, "Yeah. I guess so."

* * *

><p><em>Sorry. I know it was a shorter chapter, and I should have made it longer, since it took a while to write, but I felt like keeping the space battle in one chapter by itself. Next chapter will be the celebration, so stick with me. I'll try not to take quite as long as I did last time. As always, reviews are appreciated, because they inspire me to write more for you amazing people :)<em>


	9. Reunions

_Yay! A new chapter! Just a note to anyone reading Destiny's Pawn: I have put the story on hiatus, and I don't know if I'll ever pick it up again. It's filled with flaws and I just don't think it's going anywhere and it certainly doesn't have an original idea (not that this one really does, either, but it's less common over here :)). I apologize because I really don't want to leave it unfinished, but there's really no more motivation there. Harry Potter's over for me, but the memories were great. I'm really sorry, though, to anyone who enjoyed it._

_Anyway, here's Demands of Fate! I apologize for that little explanation there, but I had to let people know somehow ;)_

_EDIT: I really changed this one, because I was not happy with the way I wrote it before. Hopefully, this edit is better._

_Disclaimer: I always say this, and I'll keep saying it, I do not own Star Wars. Only my OC('s)._

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><p><strong>Chapter 8: Reunions<strong>

Luke could feel his body tremble, the adrenaline still coursing through him after his victory against the Empire. He could not believe that he, a Tatooine farm boy, was the Rebel who destroyed the Death Star. Luke never imagined that he would be the one to destroy it, yet here he was, flying back to the Rebel Base with the _Millennium Falcon_ trailing behind him. It felt almost unreal; after all, he had been living his relatively normal life on Tatooine not long ago, now he was a hero. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he almost didn't realize Leia had contacted him and was congratulating him on his victory.

"_And there'll be a lot for you to do once you land. There will be award ceremonies, and we'll have to evacuate the base now that the Empire knows we're here. Funny - I'm not really worried about that. We haven't won a victory like this for a long while, and it's all thanks to you!"_ She certainly sounded exicited. In fact, Luke could almost picture her, with her face lit up with a smile, softening her features, which usually seemed so tense.

He decided to cut her off. He was sure she would go on forever. "Thanks, Leia. I'm alright. I'll see you down there."

"_Luke, I know this will get old really quickly, but thank you. We owe you a lot. I'll see you when you land!"_ And Leia cut off their transmission.

The sudden silence was stunning. While Leia was speaking, he could hear the commotion going on at the base. He heard Rebels cheering, laughing, and talking, but as soon as the transmission ended, all the noise and distractions ceased. Luke's mind turned to less happy thoughts. He thought of all the pilots who gave their lives in order to bring down the Death Star. While all their deaths had stung, the one that had stung the most was the death of Biggs, his childhood friend. When he heard his friend's final scream, Luke almost gave up. If it wasn't for the fact that Biggs died for the cause, he thought he might have. Still, he couldn't believe he'd forgotten about his friend's sacrifice in all the commotion. Luke felt a rush of guilt, and swore that once the excitement died down, he would properly honor his fallen comrades.

The silence was grating on his nerves, and so he decided to call the only people he knew would cheer him up.

Han picked up instantly, "_Kid, you're the luckiest guy alive. Didn't think you could do it_."

"_Han_!"

Luke smiled at the sound of Serena's voice. The sibling's bickering could be quite amusing at times.

"_Ignore him._" Serena responded after a short exchange of insults, "_You did great._"

Luke couldn't hold back a beam. Despite having only known her for a short while, there was something about her that just made him...happy, "Just great? I was hoping for something a little better than 'great'."

"_Outstanding, superb, amazing! Is that better_?"

"It'll do."

"_You're unbelievable_." She said, while laughing. It was nice to just talk to her in peace. He hadn't been able to since their escape from the Death Star. It hadn't been that long ago, but it certainly felt like it.

"_Looks like we're about to reach the base."_

Luke jumped, embarassed that he hadn't realized how close they were to the base. He only knew her for a few days and she was already distracting him when his mind was supposed to be elsewhere. She was certainly compelling, with her long, brown hair always pulled back, a few stray hairs framing her face. He had to resist the urge on numerous occasions to brush them out of her face, then maybe 'accidentally' brush his hand against her cheek -

"_Luke?_"

He hadn't responded to her statement. He sighed, attempting to remember what she said. He flushed, grateful that she could not see him at the moment, and responded, "Sorry, what?"

She sighed, _"I said we're approaching the base."_

"Ah. Good." He winced at his response, "Hey, I'll see you down there, alright?"

"_Alright...Are you okay?"_ She seemed confused, and worried.

"I'm fine. Look, I'll see you down there." He was secretly pleased that she cared enough to ask about him.

"_Alright. Just - You know I'm here if you want to talk, right?"_

He smiled_, "Yeah. I know."_

Their connection was cut off, and he sighed.

_Don't even know much about her, and she makes me feel this way. _He sighed, and ran his free hand through his hair. _I don't know what to do._

He landed his small X-Wing fighter and let out another sigh - he seemed to be doing that a lot - and exited the X-Wing, hoping to forget about the conflicted emotions he felt towards a certain smuggler girl.

* * *

><p>"What do you think that was about?" Serena mumbled, leaning back in her seat.<p>

"Look, you can ask him when we land." Han glared, irritated with Serena's constant fretting about Luke. She'd only ended their communication a moment ago, and she was already talking about the kid. Despite her vehement protests, he knew she liked him more than she let on.

"But -"

"Just knock it off, sis. He's probably just tired. Blowin' up a huge space station'll do that to you, y'know."

She crossed her arms, and pouted.

"What are you, three?" He smirked, throwing back the comment she'd made to him not long ago. His sister smiled with realization, and Han continued, "Enough with the poutin'."

"Sorry," She laughed, "I'm just paranoid, I guess."

"You guess?"

"Stop that!" But she continued laughing. He was happy to see his little sister relax a little. She hadn't laughed like that in a while. _Neither have I, really._

Chewbacca shook his head at the Solo's, but he could feel the tension slip away. Neither Solo relaxed much, especially since Han got caught up in the smuggling business. Somehow, blowing up a massive space station could get them to relax. The wookiee didn't understand humans, despite living with the two of them for a long while, but he was glad that the two finally had something to celebrate. They certainly deserved it. He was glad that Han turned back, the Solo siblings needed to stop running, at least for a while.

Han carefully maneuvered the _Falcon_ into a large enough space to land, he noticed that, while there were less ships than there had been previously, the pilots didn't try to make as much space for other ships to land, and so it was more difficult to find a landing space.

"Go find your 'farm boy', sis, before somebody else makes a move first."

She rolled her eyes, but Han noticed a faint blush color her cheeks. Then, without so much as a retort, she left the _Falcon_.

He glanced at the wookiee, "Chewie, what's gotten into her?"

The wookiee ignored Han's question and shook his head, "_Humans._"

* * *

><p>As Serena exited the <em>Millennium Falcon<em>, she paused as she heard the loud cheering and celebrating going on in the base. The atmosphere was so different than it had been previously; while once the Rebels were gearing up for a battle, now they were laughing and cheering. The infectious happiness was not lost on Serena, as she quickly joined the fray. As she weaved through the seemingly endless crowds of Rebels, she scanned for any sign on Luke or Leia. She didn't have to look long, because Luke and Leia were right in the center, hugging and laughing.

"Hey!" She heard Han's voice from behind her. Serena glanced back and smiled as she saw Chewbacca and Han pushing past the cheerful Rebels. Luke and Leia broke their embrace and smiled at the sight of their three smuggler friends. Serena found herself wedged in between Luke and Leia as she was tightly hugged. As Han and Chewbacca approached the group, the hug was broken as Luke and Leia rushed over to hug both the smuggler and the wookiee.

"I knew you'd come back, I just knew it!" Luke told Han after their quick hug.

"Think I'd let you get all the credit?" Han smiled back, and the two hugged once again.

"I knew there was more to you than money!" Leia jumped in and patted both of them on their backs.

Serena and Chewbacca watched the three, smiling deeply. She was glad that they were no longer mad at Han. The victory over the Empire seemed to cause old arguments to end.

After the three ended their hug, Luke turned towards Serena, an infectious smile on his face. She couldn't resist smiling back, and as she did she thought she saw Luke's eyes soften, just a bit. They moved closer and she felt his arms wrap around her, and she hugged him back, feeling inexplicably safe in his arms. She smiled at him, "You seem happier now."

"Yeah, just had a lot on my mind." He said, as they both separated.

She looked up at him, realizing that she hadn't moved far back enough, and she was staring right into his lovely eyes. He blushed a bit, and Serena was sure her face was just as pink as his. She was trying to remain rational - after all, they barely knew each other - but she couldn't resist moving in closer, and she could see he was doing the same -

"Get a room."

Serena jumped back from Luke instantly, as if she were burned. She didn't notice the hurt look in his eyes, but she did notice the smirk growing on her brother's face. She was just about to give him a piece of her mind when Luke's startled gasp caused her to turn back towards the farm boy.

"Oh no," Luke began, staring in horror at the smoking R2-D2, "You can repair him, right?" He questioned, staring at the repairman who was inspecting Artoo.

"-Can you hear me? Say something!" Threepio cried out in horror. Serena felt badly for the golden droid, despite how irritating he could be.

"Threepio, I'm sure he'll be fine." She reassured, gently patting his metallic shoulder.

"We'll get to work on him right away." The mechanic stated, smiling at Threepio in reassurance.

"I hope so. That little droid and I have been through a lot," Then C-3P0 directed his attention towards Luke, "Sir, if any of my gears will help, I'll gladly donate them."

"He'll be _fine_." Luke said, and walked away from the droid. Serena followed after him, as did Han, Leia, and Chewbacca.

As the five walked through the hanger, Leia was the first to break the silence, "There's going to be a ceremony here, as soon as possible, then we'll be leaving. I hope you all have some nice clothes."

"What?" Serena jumped, "Leia, the nicest clothes I have still aren't nice enough for a ceremony! I have nothing. I can tell you the same for Han," She paused, "The only one who's ready is Chewie, since he doesn't have to worry about that kind of stuff."

Luke ran his hand through his hair, "I don't have any either. I didn't have any time to pack."

Leia laughed at Serena's obvious distress, "Don't worry. You can borrow one of mine. As for you two," She said, gesturing towards Han and Luke, "I'm sure any of the others will let you borrow their nicer uniforms. I'd start checking with Wedge."

The two men looked at each other, shrugged, and turned to leave. Chewbacca followed after them dutifully.

Serena looked at Leia, "So where's your room?"

"Down at the very end of this hall. Don't worry, we'll find you a nice dress."

The two girls walked in comfortable silence. Leia looked straight forward without paying the slightest attention to any of the details in the hallway. Of course, that was to be expected since she'd undoubtedly walked in the hallway many times before. Serena couldn't resist glancing around in curiosity, despite the hallway having little decoration. In all honesty, it was a rather plain hallway, but Serena was still interested in inspecting every detail she possibly could. The hallway was grey with bright lights shining down upon the two girls. Aside from those two things, the only other 'decoration' in the hallway were countless doors, leading to places Serena knew she was not allowed to go.

Leia finally stopped, and opened the door to her room. Serena smiled at the change in decoration, though the room was still quite plain. She imagined that Leia had only just gotten the bedroom, since she now had no other place to go. The room still had grey walls, but at least there was some furniture placed to give it some character. She had a small, but comfortable looking bed, with a table stand resting next to it. In the far left corner stood a wardrobe, no doubt filled with Leia's clothing.

Leia sighed, somewhat sadly, "This was all they could spare after Alderaan was destroyed...but let's not talk about that. This is a happy day."

Serena only nodded, "So, I'm guessing they gave you all this clothing too?"

Leia nodded, "Some of it. I had a few with me, since I had no idea how long I'd be gone." Leia seemed to grow sad again.

"Hey, let's look at some of those dresses, then!" Serena said, trying to sound as enthusiastic as she could, in order to keep Leia's mind off of Alderaan.

After many moments, Leia pulled out a white dress. The dress was beautiful, with a v-neck top and sleeves that tied around her neck. The dress flowed down with many loose layers made of a soft, thin fabric that Serena loved to feel in her hands. To complete the dress, it had sequins plastered around the waist area of the dress. Serena couldn't resist smiling.

"Leia...that's perfect!" She took the dress and was prepared to try it on.

"I'm glad you like it. The ceremony will start in an hour."

"I'll be there." Serena smiled once more, and began to prepare.

* * *

><p>Serena smiled at Han, Chewbacca, and Luke as the four waited patiently for the ceremony to begin. Leia told them all to wait behind the door, and they would know to come in when they were signaled. Serena shifted, afraid of being watched by so many rebels.<p>

Luke noticed her nervous shuffle, "Nervous?" He smiled slightly at her.

"Yeah," she nodded, "I don't do well in front of crowds." She took the time to admire him in his new clothing. He certainly looked handsome in his suit. She was also glad that Han cleaned himself up, as he looked much better in his nice new suit, as well.

"You'll be fine." He smiled softly, and Serena felt a fluttering in her stomach.

"I know." She said, returning his smile. Before he could respond, however, the doors opened and Serena glanced nervously at the rows of Rebel pilots, commanders, and leaders. She hoped that they would be impressed by the four of them, instead of shun them.

The group proceeded to walk down the hall towards the smiling face of Princess Leia, looking regal with her hair tied up in a braid and beautiful white gown that complimented her figure nicely.

_Why does this feel like it's taking forever?_ Serena thought, panicking at so many eyes staring at her, _Leia isn't that far away._

Mercifully, Serena did not have to worry about the seemingly endless walk towards Leia as the four finally arrived and stopped in front of the Princess. Leia smiled reassuringly at Serena and she felt a bit more relaxed as she realized she had done everything she was supposed to.

Leia was handed a medal and Serena watched as she placed it around Luke's neck. The farm boy couldn't resist beaming at Leia and she saw Leia smile back softly, though she was undoubtedly proud. Leia then made her way towards Han, and Serena noticed her brother smirk as Leia approached. She rolled her eyes, and saw Leia place the medal around Han's neck, as well. They both shared a smile, as well. Finally, Leia approached Serena and placed Serena's own medal around her neck. Serena now understood why Han and Luke smiled so brightly, as she suddenly felt herself do the same. She'd never earned a medal before, and it made her proud to see that she would now be getting one. Leia walked away from Serena and was handed a pin that would stick to Chewie's fur. She gently placed it on, and the wookiee roared softly in thanks, and Leia smiled at him, as well. Serena was also pleasantly surprised to see Artoo, good as new, beep happily, and Threepio sitting next to the other droid.

As the group of friends turned to see the cheering Rebels behind them, Serena realized that she had found a group of friends that would stand by each other, and found herself smiling at the thought, as she stared proudly at the applauding audience.

* * *

><p><em>Alright, there's the chapter. They'll probably most likely be coming once a month, since I'm a slow writer (sorry about that), but the next chapter's gonna have some AU events, so be sure to check it out! :D. As always, reviews are appreciated as they help me improve!)<em>


	10. A New Mission

_I'm baaaack! Sorry for being so late, but I was at a summer camp for a month and didn't have any time at all to write. Hope this chapter__ makes up for it!\_

_Edit: Corrected a few things and added descriptions. _

_**By the way: There's a time jump in the middle for a few months, because nothing interesting would have happened if I didn't put that there. ENJOY!**_

_Disclaimer: Still don't own Star Wars but I wish I did. I only own my OC's :)._

**Chapter 10: A New Mission**

* * *

><p>"Well, 'princess', maybe you should rethink that order." Han glared at Leia in irritation; she'd been harassing him all day.<p>

"Look, flyboy, I give the orders around here. If you don't like them, then leave!"

"Maybe I should. I got better things to do than hang around with you all day."

Serena rubbed her temples, attempting to rid herself of the headache that seemed to constantly plague her when the two of them argued. Han was upset that Leia ordered some of the Rebel supplies to be stored on the _Falcon_ and so he began to argue with Leia...for about the hundredth time that day. Ever since it was announced that the Rebels would be leaving the base and relocating, Han and Leia began to argue again, about very small, irrelevant details. Serena envied Luke, as he was preparing the X-Wings for flight, and so he did not have to listen to the two bicker.

"Chewie, do you think they'll ever stop?" Serena glanced at the wookiee.

"_Knowing both of them? No._"

She sighed, "Didn't think so." She then stood up, "Listen! Han - get over it. Leia - go somewhere else. Just _stop _fighting, you're giving me a headache!"

The two paused, glared at Serena, but followed her advice. Leia left to prepare, but made sure to send some of the idle Rebels to continue packing supplies onto Han's ship. Han watched Leia walk away, a look of frustration upon his face.

"Han, what's the big deal? You can tell them to put their supplies in the smuggling holds. It won't be in the way."

"Sis, do you really want them to leave their junk in the _Falcon_?"

She rolled her eyes, "Just stop arguing with Leia. It's not helping." She walked away before Han could begin arguing for her. She had no patience for his actions today, and decided it would be best to avoid him for the rest of the day - at least until she would have to return in order to leave the soon to be abandoned base. Maybe Luke was finished preparing, and would chat for a bit.

As soon as the idea hit her, she began walking at a faster pace, nearly bumping into the many Rebels who still needed time to pack their few belongings. She hoped Luke was still near his X-Wing, or else she knew she would never find him in the great crowd of people now filling the hangar. She'd been spending a lot of time with Luke lately, which caused a lot of teasing on Han's part. She would deny that there was anything there other than friendship, but sometimes she wondered if there could be.

"Luke!" She called out, seeing the farm boy leaning against his X-Wing.

He instantly jumped up, and grew more alert. She laughed when she realized that he must have been asleep, "I don't know how you can be comfortable sleeping on that thing, farm boy."

He smiled, "You know me."

"Unfortunately." She smiled to take away the sting of the comment, "What do you think will happen now?"

"We'll go with the Rebellion and help them win this war." Luke's determination was clearly written upon his face.

Serena looked at him incredulously, "You really think we can win?"

His eyes hardened, "Yeah, I do. Don't you?"

"There's so many of them. The Imperials control almost everything. We're just a ragtag group of Rebels. We got lucky with the Death Star's destruction. Do you really think they'll be so careless again?"

"The Empire's always careless. I'm sure they think exactly like you, but they always forget that they have weaknesses, just like anyone else. I know we can beat them, you just have to have a little faith."

"I do...but I'm also realistic, and I think we're getting way to deep in this war."

"So you feel just like Han? Leave as soon as you get the reward?"

She looked as if she'd been slapped, "I _want _to help. I truly do, and I would like to stay. But I don't want to watch the Empire kill all of my friends, or let them touch my brother. Can't you understand that?"

He bowed his head, "I thought that you would want to stop them. After all you've already done for the Rebellion -"

"I _didn't_ say that I was leaving. I want to stay and help. I just don't know how much help we'll all actually be in this war. What difference could we make?"

"You helped me destroy the Death Star! That's a huge difference, and a huge victory!"

"Like I said before - it was all luck, besides I didn't do anything. _You're_ the hero, Luke. I was just with you when you did it."

"You helped." Luke argued, "Just because you didn't destroy the Death Star, doesn't mean you didn't do anything."

Serena was ready to counter, but paused, "Listen to us. I came here to get away from Han and Leia's fighting, and now I'm starting a fight." She chuckled a bit, "That's a little ironic."

"A little." Luke said, but he chuckled a little too, "I guess they're getting to us."

Before anything else could be said, Han ran up to the two of them, "Hey sis, it's time to go. The Rebels wanna clear outta here before any of the Imps show up."

She glanced at Luke one more time, "See you there?"

He nodded, but didn't respond. She watched him climb into his X-Wing and prepare to take off. She followed Han back to the _Falcon_, and sat down as Han also flew away from the soon to be abandoned base.

* * *

><p><strong><em>A few months later...<em>**

The Rebels were firmly settled in Dantooine. Leia thought that since the Empire recently inspected their old abandoned base, they would not think to re-inspect the base for a long while. Her plan proved to be well thought out, as the Empire did not search for the Rebels at Dantooine, and the scouts reported that they were searching on other worlds. Leia seemed particularly proud of her plan, especially since it was becoming more difficult to remain hidden from the Empire. The Imperials doubled their watches and security in the past months to ensure the Rebels were unable to destroy any more of their space stations or weapons.

Han, Serena, and Chewbacca remained with the Rebels, though Han constantly spoke of leaving. He never went through with his plans, though, and Serena knew that the princess was keeping her brother here, though Han would vehemently deny the claim as soon as Serena mentioned it. Serena also tried to ensure that Han would stay, because despite her words to Luke as they were leaving the base, she wanted to believe that the Rebels could make a difference, and she wanted to be a part of that change. She didn't know if it was possible, but the Rebels - and Luke, mostly - made her want to believe, and that was good enough for her.

Han was often sent on smuggling missions for the Rebels, and Serena and Chewbacca often accompanied the reckless smuggler on his missions. While they were not terribly exciting, the smuggling missions beat waiting at the base for any word on the Imperials actions. So far, the Rebels were growing restless because the Empire was leaving no openings for a possible attack. Han often complained about being offered the smuggling missions, but Serena knew he was grateful to have _something_ to do other than sit and wait.

However, for the past week the Rebels didn't even need Han to smuggle weapons and supplies. There was absolutely nothing to do other than wait and hope that something would come up, because waiting often caused the Rebels to worry. Worrying would not help their cause, so they tried to keep themselves busy. The problem was that even when they were attempting to distract themselves, their thoughts often wondered back to the war. Serena hoped that Han would approach her and tell her to get ready to go on a mission soon, or else she knew that she would go insane.

Serena shook her head, determined to focus on the dejarik game she decided to play with Wedge in order to attempt to pass the time. She made her move, sighing when she instantly realized her mistake. Wedge quickly took his opportunity and sent his Mantellian savrip against her now helpless Kintan strider. He glanced up at her, "You okay?"

"What?" She flushed, "Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just thinking too much."

"About...?"

She smiled at Wedge. He'd become a good friend in these few months, and he was a great Dejarik player. They both passed the time there too often to count, considering they had nothing better to do, unless Serena decided to accompany Han on his smuggling missions.

"Just how boring it is here." She smiled at him.

He laughed, "It's definitely not as exciting as before, but you'd be surprised. We're usually unoccupied here - those last few months were sort of special."

"How can you stand it?"

"You get used to it, but I've got to admit, it's never been this slow before. That's what we get for taking out the Death Star."

She laughed, and Wedge glanced back to their game. Serena had lost horribly that round, and there was no way she would be able to recover after her last move, "New game?"

She shook her head, "No thanks, I'm getting tired of losing to you all the time."

"You win sometimes."

"I'm just glad we don't place down bets. I'd be broke by now."

Wedge smirked, "Well, if you're up for it -"

"_No_, thanks. I'll pass. I like my credits right where they are."

"Spoilsport." He glanced around, "I'm gonna go and look for something else to do. See you around."

"Bye, Wedge."

He waved and exited the _Falcon_, leaving Serena alone to sit in boredom. She glanced around, hoping that she could think of something to do. She still wasn't used to staying in one place for so long, especially since Han had become a smuggler.

Han entered a few moments later, looking positively thrilled, "Mon Mothma wants to see us. Says it's somethin' important."

Serena instantly jumped up, "Anything's better than waiting here!"

He laughed, "You got that right. Chewie was going nuts waiting for somethin' to happen."

Chewie glared at Han, as the smuggler turned and led them to where he was told to meet. Serena giggled at Chewbacca's glare. _Looks like Han was the one going nuts. He always blames Chewie_. Serena rolled her eyes at her brother's antics.

Han led them into the conference room, where Mon Mothma and Leia were waiting for the three smugglers. There were a few other faces that looked familiar, but Serena could not name them. She did, however, know that they were important members of the Rebellion.

"Welcome, Captain Solo." Mon Mothma greeted Han formally. She smiled at Serena and Chewbacca, but made it clear that this business was mainly for Han.

"So what're we doin' here?" Han said after nodding in Mon Mothma's direction.

"I must ask if you would consider doing a...favor for the Rebellion."

"You mean like smuggling? I'm already doin' that."

"No," Mon Mothma glared at Han, "I need a discreet individual to help the Rebellion with this. Can you do that?"

Han smirked, "I'd like to know what I'm doin' first."

"Very well," She gestured to the princess next to her, "Leia, would you care to explain?"

"Of course," She stood up and approached Han, "One of our scouts has gone missing."

"And what does that have to do with me?"

"Han!" Serena hissed. She always hated when he tried to make things difficult by interrupting and questioning his employers.

"Everything. Our scout went missing on Corellia. I understand that you three know the planet well?"

Serena could just nod, and tune out the rest of the conversation. Corellia? She tried not to remember that place, and living in the dirty slums - or the Skids, as it was known to by Corellian residents - of Tyrena, a large city in Corellia. She hated that place and had no desire to return. Han, however, seemed to be considering the offer. Chewbacca remained indifferent, but that was only to be expected. The wookiee met up with them long after they left Corellia, and so did not understand Serena's dislike of the place.

"You may not have been aware of this, but Tyrena is a vital part of the Rebellion. We are able to recruit some of the more adventurous tourists who enter the city, and it is large enough that the Empire has difficulty locating the Rebels there. I believe that our scout decided to rest there, and that is when we lost him." Mon Mothma stated, matter-of-factly.

Han paused, and Serena was surprised he would actually consider returning to their former home. She hated that city, but the Rebels certainly did pick the right man for the job. She knew Han had discovered all of the twists and turns of the city, and he still knew where to find his old connections. What Mon Mothma and Leia failed to mention, however, were the stormtroopers located there, to 'keep the peace'.

After a long pause, Han looked up, "What's the pay?"

Serena saw Leia roll her eyes.

Mothma sighed, "I'm sure it will be sufficient for you, Captain Solo. Am I to take that comment as an agreement?"

"You've got a deal."

* * *

><p>"Han, Corellia? What happened to 'never wanting to go back'?"<p>

"Sis, they're payin' us a good amount of credits. It'll be an easy job."

She rolled her eyes, "That's what you always say, and then we end up running for our lives."

Chewbacca growled, "_Stop this arguing._"

"Alright, alright. Sorry, Chewie." Han raised his hands up, and then resumed preparing the _Falcon_ for takeoff, "Sis, if you don't wanna go, then don't. But Chewie and I are."

She glared, "Oh no, I'm going. Without me, I know you'll do something stupid and need rescuing."

"Then quit complainin' and get in the ship!"

Serena sulkily entered the _Falcon_, followed closely by Chewbacca. The wookiee examined the young smuggler closely, she seemed highly agitated, "_Is something wrong, Serena?"_

She glanced up at the wookiee, and lied, "No...I just don't like the idea. That's all."

Chewie glanced at Serena suspiciously; he knew she was lying to him.

"Look, furball, I'm fine." She snapped, then deflated, "Sorry. I just don't wanna go back. I can barely remember that place, but what I remember isn't good."

"_Han knows what he is doing. You will be fine._" The wookiee placed a hand on her shoulder in reassurance, "_I will also be there if there is trouble._"

She smiled, "Thanks, Chewie."

Chewbacca then entered the cockpit, leaving Serena alone. She sighed, but she still couldn't get rid of the bad feeling she'd been having ever since Mon Mothma introduced the mission. Maybe she was just being paranoid, but usually her instincts were right. She knew Han wouldn't listen to her, but that was why she had to go. Han was reckless, and she had to make sure that he would be alright.

"Hey!" She heard a loud voice, and instantly recognized it as Luke's. She glanced around, then realized he must have been calling out to Han. Serena moved closer to the entrance ramp and listened to their conversation.

"Hey, kid. What're you doing here?"

"I saw you prepare to leave. Mind if I come along?"

"Why would you wanna do that?" Han turned to face Luke, "It's gonna be a pretty easy mission."

"It beats sitting around here with nothing to do."

"Ain't that the truth. Alright kid, get on. We're leavin'!"

Serena smiled at the thought of Luke accompanying them. She hadn't been able to see him much in the last few months, and so it would be good to work with him. It would also be good to have another pair of eyes looking for the scout. It might take a while. What she didn't admit, though, was that she was just glad to see Luke, and hoped that Luke was just as happy to see her.

He entered the _Falcon_, "Hey, Serena." He smiled, "It's been awhile."

She returned his smile, "Yeah. So you're coming with us?"

"Obviously," He smirked, "Couldn't you tell?"

She rolled her eyes, and playfully pushed him away, "I just can't get rid of this bad feeling I have about returning to Corellia."

"From what I've heard of, Corellia's not a bad place to live."

"You've never been to the Skids."

"The Skids?"

"Sorry," She mumbled, "I forget that people out here don't know what the Skids are. It's where I grew up. It's a pretty rough place, and for some reason I just have a really bad feeling about returning."

"It'll be fine. What's the worst that could happen?" Luke attempted to reassure her, and entered the cockpit, where she assumed Han and Chewbacca were about to take off.

She sighed, "I always hate it when people say that. The worst does tend to happen around us."

* * *

><p><em>Sorry! I know it's not that long, but it's sort of a bridge into the next part, which I hope will be longer. I just wanted to hurry and give you guys a chapter, since I know that this one was waaay late. Hope you guys are having a great summer! :) If you have time, send me a review and tell me how I'm doing! Feedback is essential to helping me improve! :)<em>


	11. Corellia

_Wooo! I'm actually updating ahead of schedule - well, sort of anyway :P. That's pretty impressive, since it usually takes me a month or more to update! Hope you guys like it! :)_

_Most of the information for Corellia was found on wookieepedia, and so I am not sure if it is entirely correct, so I apologize if there are any hard-core fans out there who get irritated with the incorrect descriptions of Corellia. I tried my best! :)_

_Before I begin, though, I just want to thank every reviewer but especially the anonymous ones. I really do appreciate you guys too, and I realized that I haven't thanked you personally yet, so special thanks!_

_Disclaimer: I still don't own Star Wars, and I won't own it anytime soon. Just don't steal my OC('s)._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11: Corellia<strong>

The trip to Corellia did not take long. In Serena's opinion it did not take long enough. She really was not ready to return to her home world, even though she'd had plenty of time away. Some things were meant to be kept in the past, and she didn't feel like remembering her time on the planet. Han, however, didn't seem quite as upset as Serena. He had been older and more mature when they left, and he knew that Corellia - despite some of it's less reputable locations - was a safe planet. Serena was mainly stuck in the slums, and so she didn't remember all of the nicer places of Corellia. He hoped that, after this trip, she would remember Corellia more fondly.

He docked the ship, and glanced around. The planet still looked exactly the same - the same people, the same buildings. In a way, though Han would never admit this to anyone, he liked the stability of the planet. Even though he liked an exciting and dangerous life, he sometimes preferred living on Corellia where life was easy and the same every day. However, he knew that while he missed that life now, if he chose to live it once again he would get bored within the span of a few days.

"Looks like we made it. Everybody ready?" Han called out, ensuring to grab his blaster and a few credits, for bribing purposes.

Chewie let out a roar of acknowledgment, and he heard Luke enthusiastically shout that he was ready, as well. Serena just muttered, and Han decided to take that for a 'yes'.

"Then get ready. We're headin' out in a few."

Serena sighed, but stood up and went to grab her blaster, securing it tightly at her hip. Han led the group out the loading ramp and into the docking bay. Han seemed confident, striding with his head held high. She wished she could feel just as confident about Corellia. She knew she was being irrational but after their father died, Corellia was no longer an enjoyable place to live. Still, she had agreed to come and stood up, stretching out her legs after staying seated for the entire trip.

"Hurry up, sis. We haven't got all day."

She stuck out her tongue at him, and walked over to the exit ramp, with Chewbacca and Luke behind her. She glanced around curiously at the surroundings near where Han decided to land the _Falcon_. Despite her misgivings, she couldn't deny that the spaceport was very…normal. Her past memories of Corellia were always grimy and shady areas. Maybe she'd been mistaken in characterizing the entire planet based on her memories of one area. Still, she was young and didn't get out much, so she only remembered the places that scared her the most.

"It's not so bad, is it, sis?"

"Well…no."

"Told you so."

She nodded, slightly embarrassed by her dramatic behavior, "Well, we haven't seen all of it yet."

"Then let's go." Han ordered, heading towards the exit.

The four Rebels marched through the spaceport, and Serena couldn't resist examining the spaceport. It was small, but very organized, and the people who maintained and used it seemed to be average citizens using the facilities for a trip. They laughed and smiled at one another, and Serena relaxed greatly, but still was weary of returning. Most people she knew always wanted to return home, but her old home was nothing to want to go back to.

Han paid for the landing rights, and led the others out of the spaceport. What Serena saw here stunned her. The city was perhaps one of the largest she'd ever been in – aside from Coruscant – and she'd seen a lot of big cities. The streets were filled with people, and she remembered Mon Mothma's statement that many tourists came to Tyrena for the famous landmarks surrounding it. She didn't think she'd ever seen this part of the city; the poorer citizens tended to remain in the less populated areas. Large skyscrapers extended through the sky, and she saw a lot of vehicles driving above her head. In a way, it did remind her of Coruscant, but it was nicer because – while it was greatly populated – the city seemed emptier; she did not feel the urgent need to speedily make her way through the city, unlike when she was in Coruscant.

As she properly examined the city for the first time, she saw Luke approach her, "You made this place sound miserable. It's not so bad."

"I'd never been in this part of the city before. I wish I had."

Han smirked, "Now, sis, if you're done checkin' out the view, maybe you wanna get back to helpin' Chewie and me look for this scout."

She shook her head, but nodded, "Sorry."

"Where do you think he would be?" Luke asked, turning towards Han, who knew the city better than any of them.

"He'd probably be in Groola's Place, or maybe the Skids. They're low profile, for the most part." He responded.

"What'd he look like, again?" Serena asked. She'd ignored most of the mission briefing back at the base.

"Twi'lek. Blue skin, with tattoos on his lekku. That's all she gave me, and it's not a lot to go on. His name's Xandor."

"Alright. Well, I vote we check Groola's Place first. Don't you know him, Han?" She said, slightly upset with having to deal with a Hutt. Still, it was preferable to returning to the Skids.

"Yeah, but it was a while ago. Doubt he remembers me."

"You can try, right?" Luke stated, suddenly getting impatient.

"Alright, kid, keep your pants on. Guess we're headin' to Groola. Just a tip, let me do the talkin', he doesn't like strangers."

"Would Groola know about the bounty?" Serena asked, suddenly concerned.

"Don't know, but we've gotta risk it."

* * *

><p>Groola's place reminded Serena of Jabba's palace. Still, it was significantly smaller, and she figured that Groola, with all his influence, still followed Jabba like a lap dog. She saw a lot of Twi'leks in the cantina, but most were female dancers. The few males were not blue, and so Serena immediately turned away from them. Maybe the scout had been here, but she doubted he was here any longer. She just hoped Han wouldn't get into trouble with Groola.<p>

Groola sat on a huge dais, eerily looking like Jabba as he had servants who catered to his every whim. He was just a slimy and just as disgusting to look at; Serena couldn't help but grimace when they approached him. It seemed Luke was thinking the same thing. Chewbacca and Han remained neutral as they finally stopped before the Hutt.

"_And who are you?_" The Hutt asked, in Huttese.

"I'm…Trip Cole. This is my sister, Kara, my friend, "he gestured to Chewbacca, "Bacca, and the kid over there is Aran."

The Hutt paused, then began laughing, "_Oh ho ho."_

Serena glanced at Han in concern, and Han glared at the Hutt, "What?"

"_Solo_," The Hutt began, "_Do you think you can try to hide your identity from me? My cousin, Jabba, told me about that bounty._"

All at once the guards surrounding the Hutt pointed their weapons at the four Rebels. Serena began to reach for her blaster, but one of the guards noticed and pointed his directly at her. She was forced to raise her hands in the air in surrender.

"Look, Groola, we can work this out…" Han said, attempting to reason with the Hutt.

Groola chuckled again, which only reminded Serena of Jabba, "_I will not make deals with you, Solo. But…"_ He gestured to each of his guards to stand down, and they each did so, reluctantly, "_I am not fond of my cousin, so I will listen to what you have to say."_

Han nodded appreciatively, "We're lookin' for a Twi'lek – name's Xandor. Blue skin; has tattoos. Know anything about him?"

Groola glared at the arrogant smuggler, displeased with his tone. "_Do you think I care about one Twi'lek? This no longer interests me. Go...before I decide to collect that bounty after all."_

The guards began to return to their threatening poses, eager for a fight. Han delayed one moment before deciding to not push the Hutt any further than he already had. He nodded, and then turned to leave. Serena, growing impatient and knowing that the Hutt at least knew _something_ about the Rebel scout, impulsively pulled out her blaster and aimed it at Groola. The Hutt's eyes widened in alarm, then narrowed in anger. She knew she'd made a mistake, but went along with it anyway, her eyes never leaving the Hutt's.

"Drop the act, you overgrown slug. We both know you saw something."

Groola's guards seemed ready to fire on the smuggler girl, so she quickly tried to stall them, "Do you think you can kill me before I fire at him?" The guards hesitated, but kept their weapons raised.

Han watched his sister in alarm, extremely angry that she would try such a _stupid_ stunt. She could get them all killed. Luke watched her in concern, ready to help her if her impulsive action came down to a fight. Chewbacca roared threateningly at the men who pointed their weapons at Serena, hoping that no harm would come to her.

Serena licked her lips and gripped her blaster tighter, feeling her hands sweat with nervousness, "Tell you what, Groola. You tell us what we want, then let us go, and I won't blast a hole through your head."

Han glared at Serena. How did she think threatening Groola would help?

The Hutt glared at the girl who dared to point a weapon at him. She was small, and relatively non threatening, aside from the weapon. Still, he wondered what this brown haired girl thought to prove by standing up to a powerful gangster after he willingly allowed them to leave without trouble. She was obviously daring or stupid – or perhaps both – though he knew she would regret this action. Still, he preferred to live and so spoke, "_You have made a mistake."_

Serena's hand shook, "Maybe, but I'm waiting for that information."

Groola chuckled again. She was determined, "_I already told you I do not care about the Twi'lek –"_

"We both know you see everything around here. You have to know something."

The Hutt hesitated for a moment, and then relented, his sense of self-preservation was too great to withhold the information any longer, "_…He was in here not long ago. I heard he was a Rebel and so I had a few of my bounty hunters follow him. The last I heard was that he entered the Skids."_

Serena relaxed her stance, glad that her action got them a little bit of information. Still, she knew they were going to head in that direction anyway, and she realized that all her action did was put them in danger. She still attempted to look in control of the situation, "Tell your men to drop their weapons and let us go."

The Hutt hesitated once more, but eventually did so. Groola watched as Serena continued to point her blaster at him while she, her brother, and the other two Rebels quickly backed away. After they neared the door, Han, Luke, and Chewbacca all moved through it quickly, with Serena bringing up the rear. Finally, she dropped her weapon and disappeared from his sight. His guards instantly reacted and were prepared to follow them, when Groola shouted, "_No – let them leave."_

A bolder Gamorrean guard questioned the order, "_Why?_ _We kill stupid humans and wookiee easy._"

Groola glared angrily at the door where they left. They thought they could get away with humiliating him? A great Hutt? They would regret their mistake.

"_Send out word that the Solo's are here. I'm sure the bounty hunters will be glad to find them, and their wookiee companion, and I am sure the Empire has a bounty on the other boy. I will not have to lift a finger."_

* * *

><p>As the four Rebels finally stopped running, Han turned towards Serena, "What kind of stupid move was that? Do you know what you did?"<p>

"I found out where the scout was, didn't I?" She glared back, but it was half-heartedly. She knew she'd made a mistake –one that could get them in a lot of trouble if Groola decided to stop them.

"Yeah, great plan. You know we were gonna head there after anyway? You could've gotten us all killed!"

"We're all still alive, aren't we? And now we know he was there for sure."

Luke jumped in, "I'm gonna have to agree with Han on this one. Now we don't know if Groola's going to try to get revenge or just ignore us. Either way, we can't go back there now."

Serena sighed. She knew they were right, but she was too proud to admit it. She didn't want to be the one who caused problems, but she seemed to be adding to the difficulty of their mission. It was supposed to be quick and easy, and now they didn't know what was going to happen. She tried to apologize, "I know it was stupid, and I'm sorry. But can we please just go and look for the scout so we can leave?"

"You're right. Let's head to the Skids. At least we can try to lay low there." Luke said, trying to ease some of the tension. He understood why Han was upset, because he was too, but he also knew that their group had to work together to complete the mission. He didn't want to deal with everyone blaming Serena, even though he thought she did deserve it, a bit.

Serena hung her head. She felt awful, and she really did screw up. She thought doing something impulsive would help them, but she'd only gotten them into more trouble. She just hoped that their trip to the Skids would be quick and trouble-free. She really didn't want to deal with the consequences of her actions. Chewbacca brought up the rear of the group and glared threateningly at anyone who neared the group. They hoped that having a wookiee along with them would keep any threats away, but somehow Serena knew that wouldn't work for long. She just hoped they would be ready to leave when trouble hit them.

* * *

><p>The Skids were just as grimy and miserable as the last time Serena had seen them. While the rest of Corellia was beautiful and clean, the slums were miserable and filthy. The moment the group had entered the slums, they could smell exactly what Serena complained about on the trip to Corellia. Luke thought she was exaggerating when she said he would smell them before they neared the slums, but it appeared she was telling the truth. He understood why she didn't want to return to this place; he didn't even want to go in.<p>

Chewbacca seemed most affected by the smell, as he was a wookiee and more sensitive to such things. He grimaced with distaste, and growled, "_The smell here is terrible. I hope we find that scout soon_."

"Me too, Chewie. Me too." Han agreed. He wasn't fond of this neighborhood, but he understood why the scout chose it. It was low-profile, and most of Corellia's security droids and the few stormtroopers that stuck around tried to avoid this place.

The streets were covered in garbage, and the few inhabitants that dared to walk the streets in the dark seemed jumpy or the type to attack anyone caught unaware. It was best to avoid everyone here, because appearances could be deceiving. A friendly child could be an expert pickpocket.

It was a rough place to grow up in, and most of the children born here were eventually forced into the more illegal businesses in order to stay alive and avoid the wrath of the gangs. This was how Han was introduced into the smuggling life. As far as illegal activities were concerned, it was one of the least horrible, because he didn't have to hurt anyone. When their father was still alive he was able to keep the gangs away from his children, but when he died they couldn't afford that, and so Han tried to keep Serena safe instead, since she was so much younger than him. He had no other choice.

Han made the best of it, though, and he actually turned out to be a fantastic smuggler, and really didn't mind doing it. This eventually led him to becoming one of Jabba's best, which was no small feat. She still hated to be here, because there were too many memories she wanted to forget.

She spread out her arms, trying to lessen the tension, "Welcome to the Skids. Watch your step, the grime won't come off your boots for weeks."

Luke laughed lightly, but he still seemed on edge, glancing at each of the rough looking men who passed by. She couldn't blame him, especially after what she did with Groola the Hutt. They had no idea what to expect here.

Returning to the place she and Han grew up in was unsettling; it was as if they never left. Nothing looked different, and that bothered her the most. She'd secretly hoped that the residents would attempt to make the Skids a better place to live, but she was mistaken.

"We're probably gonna have to ask if anyone's seen him." Han said, snapping Serena from her thoughts.

"Is that a good idea? These people don't look trustworthy." Luke mumbled, hoping that none of them overheard him. That could cause trouble.

"It's the only one we've got." Han responded, "Besides, we've got Chewie, and he'll do a good job with intimidatin' them."

"I hope you're right."

"Trust me."

Serena sighed, once more staring at the gruff faces of the few people who dared to remain on the streets. She just hoped Han's confidence wouldn't bring them more trouble; they already had enough to worry about.

* * *

><p><em>This was meant to be longer, but I am going on vacation for a week and wanted to update before I leave! I also wanted to put up a chapter to celebrate my 18th birthday - which was two days ago :P, so I'm a little late! Thank you for reading, and feedback is appreciated! :)<em>


	12. First Kiss

_Yay, a new chapter! Sorry I always take so long to update. School's certainly taking up a lot of free time I used to have. Still, guess I'm not much later than I usually am...lol. I'm having so much fun thinking about what our favorite Rebels could get caught up in on Corellia. I originally intended this to take a completely different direction, but it seems they have minds of their own…Thanks again to anyone following this story. I hope you enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Star Wars. I own my OC('s)._

**Chapter 12: First Kiss**

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><p>The search for Xandor proven to be more difficult than they had previously expected. While Serena figured that a blue Twi'lek would not blend in wih the crowds—especially since the Skids were mainly populated by humans—he proved to be excellent at concealing his identity. None of the locals the group paused to ask had noticed a blue Twi'lek, even when Han offered them credits. They were going to go broke at this rate. If the locals continued to demand bribes, Serena was sure their relatively large stack of credits would dwindle to nothing by the end of their search.<p>

They discussed the possibility of splitting up, in order to cover more ground, but it was Luke who rejected the plan. He claimed that if Groola decided to come after them, they would have a better chance if they all stuck together. He made a good point, but they still had a lot of ground to cover and their enthusiasm about the journey had faded considerably.

Just when the group was beginning to think Xandor had managed to flee far from the Skids, they were approached by a small, shady-looking Rodian. His big, black eyes stared straight at them, and made Serena feel a bit nervous. He spoke rapidly, "_Reevor hears you looking for a Twi'lek? Not many come here…"_

Han glared; his patience was wearing thin, "What about it? If you know somethin', why don't you just say it?"

The Rodian warily glanced up at the smuggler, "_Reevor_ _might know something, for right price...perhaps for credits Reevor will…help you."_

Luke looked at the Rodian, Reevor, suspiciously, "Han, I don't think he knows anything. All he wants are your credits."

"_If he does know something and we ignore him, how long will the search continue?"_ Chewie growled. Patience was not one of the wookiee's strongest traits. He preferred quick missions.

Chewbacca made a good point, though, even though he only said it so they could attempt to complete the mission at a faster pace. Serena honestly didn't know what she thought of Reevor. She wanted to believe he knew something, but she knew one should never trust anyone in the Skids. It would bring you a lot of trouble if you weren't careful.

Han shrugged, and pulled out their credits, "What've we got to lose?"

The Rodian's eyes lit up at the sight. He eagerly reached out to grab the credits from Han, but the smuggler pulled them back. Reevor continued to stare at the credits, a greedy look in his eyes. He sent a particularly venomous look in Han's direction, as he continued to withhold the money.

"You can have the credits when you tell us what we wanna know."

With one final longing glance at the credits, the Rodian sighed, "_Okay, okay, Reevor will tell you what you want to know._" He paused, seeming to consider his options. Realizing that attempting to steal the credits and run was a bad idea, he sighed and continued, "_Twi'lek was here not long ago—a day, maybe. Ran into poor Reevor without apology."_

Here, he paused, "_No more until Reevor gets credits._"

Chewbacca roared at the Rodian, who seemed to shrink back into the shadows at the sight.

"I don't think that's a good idea, right Chewie?" Han smirked, "Keep talkin', and if I'm happy with what I hear you'll get your credits."

Fortunately for the group, the Rodian was indeed as cowardly as he looked, "_He-he ran over there." _He gestured to the left, "_Reevor followed him."_

"Why?" Serena demanded.

"_R-Reevor just wanted to see if he had any credits on him…Reevor is hungry, you know…"_

Both Serena and Luke looked at the Rodian in disgust, but allowed him to continue without further interruption.

"_Last Reevor saw him, he was in there." _He pointed to a particularly damaged home, not far off from their current location. He glanced at Han eagerly, "_That's all Reevor knows. Will you give him credits?"_

Han removed a few of the credits from the bag and placed them in the hands of the Rodian, who brightened at the sight, and quickly ran away, disappearing into the shadows.

"Think we can trust him?" Serena asked, though she was eager at finally finding a new lead as to the whereabouts of Xandor.

"No."

"Sure, why not?"

Luke and Han both spoke at the same time.

Luke looked at Han in surprise, "You saw him. All he wanted were your credits. He could've made the whole thing up!"

"Maybe. He might've actually seen him. We gotta try, at least."

"_I agree with Han._" Chewbacca murmured.

"I think we should at least try. It's the closest thing to a lead we've found in our time here." Serena agreed, hoping that Reevor was actually telling the truth.

Luke seemed conflicted. She knew he wanted to find the Twi'lek as quickly as possible, but he was still wary of Reevor, and if he was lying or not. After a brief pause, he finally relented, "Alright. I guess it's worth a try."

Despite their newfound enthusiasm, the group still hesitated before heading in the direction the Rodian pointed them in. It was certainly abandoned; each building in the area looked as if it were falling apart—even more so than the others in the slums. The building they approached seemed to be in a slightly better condition than the others, but Serena knew she would not want to live there, or even hide there if she was being perfectly honest.

Han peered through the broken window, grumbling to himself that it was too dark to see anything properly, "Guess we'll just have to go in and hope he doesn't think were Imperials."

"That sounds like a terrible idea." Serena rolled her eyes.

"How else are we gonna find him? He's not gonna come out if we call him!"

"Don't you think I know that? I just don't think it's a good idea to go in blind. What if Xandor's not in there? What if someone else is living there? Do you really want to make them mad?"

Luke jumped in, "I have this." He removed the lightsaber Ben gave him from his belt. He'd managed to conceal it with his baggy shirt.

"We can't just go in and threaten him with a lightsaber." Serena rolled her eyes.

"I know that. We could use it for light. It gets pretty bright."

Chewbacca jumped in, his impatience getting the better of him, "_We should enter soon. He might hear you arguing and run._"

Han nodded, "Right, Chewie. Let's go."

The group entered with no further discussion, with Luke leading the way. As soon as Serena closed the door behind her, Luke ignited his lightsaber, a blue glow emanating brightly. They were surprisingly silent, even Chewbacca's usually heavy footsteps could barely be heard. Still, the glow and humming of the lightsaber was giving them away. Serena just hoped Xandor didn't think they were bounty hunters or—

Just then she heard the sound of a blaster bolt being fired, and quickly tensed. She looked forward to see it coming right in her direction, the red beam directed right towards her chest. She flinched and attempted to get out of the way, knowing that—while her reflexes were sharp—she had no time to dodge the blast. She heard the hum of the lightsaber, and just when the bolt should have struck her she felt…nothing.

She looked forward. Luke seemed tense, but managed to place the lightsaber right in the bolt's path, effectively blocking it and saving Serena from a potentially deadly wound. She managed to send him a quick smile of thanks, before she began searching in the direction the blast had come from. She saw Han do the same. Chewie, however, must have seen their attacker, as he roared and quickly ran in that direction. Only when their attacker began to run did Serena spot his exact location. She and Han both aimed their blasters at him, while Han called out, "I wouldn't move if I were you. When he gets angry, you don't wanna be around him."

While their attacker was still concealed by the shadows, and she could not recognize his face, he was obviously a Twi'lek. She figured he would have to be Xandor, but didn't want to make any assumptions, so she kept her blaster up and pointed at the stranger.

She saw the Twi'lek sag, and throw his hands up in the air in surrender, "Fine. You caught me. Go ahead and take me to the Imps. I'm tired of running."

"What're you talkin' about?" Han rolled his eyes, "We're on your side. Mothma sent us here to find you."

"Mon Mothma sent you?" He still seemed wary of them, but at least he was willing to believe them, "How do I know you're not lying?"

"Why would we?" Luke responded, "We've already caught you anyway."

"True, but you could be trying to get information out of me."

"If we wanted information, we wouldn't be so friendly. The Imperials just kill you if you don't cooperate." Han said, lowering his blaster to show he had no intention of doing just that.

Serena followed his lead, and Xandor relented, "I guess you've got a point."

"Glad you're seeing reason." The smuggler glanced around, "Can't believe you decided to hide here."

"It's not like I had many choices," the Twi'lek snapped, "I was at Groola's Place, trying to lay low, but I noticed a few Imps wandering around the area. I knew I couldn't stay near anywhere they'd patrol, so I had to come here."

"Well, now that we've found you, any ideas how we're gonna get you out of here without drawing any attention?" Serena asked, knowing that with Xandor the stormtroopers would immediately spot them. A blue Twi'lek wasn't too difficult to spot in a crowd, especially when the crowd is predominantly human.

"If I figured that out, don't you think I'd be outta here by now, sweetheart?" She glared at the nickname, getting an idea of how Leia felt when Han spoke to her.

"I don't know. You don't seem that clever to me." She snapped back.

Fortunately, Xandor just smiled, "Don't back down, do ya? I like you."

She shook her head; he reminded her of Han a bit.

The Rebels all decided their best course of action would be to rest in the house—shack, more like it—and figure out something in the morning. Serena couldn't argue with this plan, as she was already beginning to feel exhausted from the exciting and long day. They had managed to anger a Hutt, escape before he could turn on them, and find Xandor all in a single day, though something did indeed seem off about the relative success of their mission. Perhaps it was her lingering guilt about endangering the mission and angering one of the most influential underworld figures on Coruscant that she was worrying about. She knew if they weren't careful, he would have someone come after them. Even though she hadn't hurt him, she'd certainly wounded his pride, something any Hutt would remember for a long time. She didn't regret making him look like a fool—he certainly needed to be humbled—but she did regret what her actions would cause for the group. She laid her head down on her blanket. There were no pillows available, and they didn't dare leave the shack now for fear of what might be waiting for them when they left. Despite the discomfort on sleeping on the floor, Serena had little difficulty falling asleep.

* * *

><p>She was woken abruptly by an insistent hand shaking her awake. She groggily opened her eyes, but before she could do much more she was pulled from her place and forced to stand. Still tired, but certainly fighting to properly awaken, she caught a flash of white armor…<em>white armor? No –<em>

All grogginess faded to be replaced with panic. How did they find them? They'd certainly been careful. Serena was sure that Groola wouldn't have dealings with the Imperials, would he? She cursed her foolishness. Obviously, he'd informed anyone willing to collect their bounties, and the Imperials were no different, placing a bounty on each Rebels head, and if they realized these one of these Rebels were responsible for the Death Star's demise, then—

She refused to think about it, even as they cuffed her hands behind her back. She heard Chewie roar wildly in protest, and the stormtroopers were clearly struggling in bringing the massive wookiee down. Serena hoped they wouldn't hurt him; she couldn't bear it if something were to happen to him.

"Hey, lay off him!" She heard Han's angry voice cut in through the struggle. She turned back, fighting against her own captor to see her brother, angrily pushing back and attempting to free himself to help Chewbacca. Serena was thoroughly embarrassed and angered at being caught so easily. She knew she couldn't fight the way Han, Luke, and Chewbacca were—even Xandor was fighting well. Certainly, she was trying to escape, but only one stormtrooper was holding her back, and he was holding her back rather effectively.

She glanced at Luke, who was faring the best of all of them. He hadn't been cuffed yet, and even resorted to pulling out his lightsaber, ungracefully swinging it at the Imperials in order to keep them back. While she knew he had no idea how to properly wield it, the stormtroopers had no such advantage and warily approached him, all the while paying an increasing amount of attention to the glowing blue blade.

Xandor fought dirtily, but she couldn't deny how effective it was. He was cuffed but seemed to know each weak point in their armor, and didn't hesitate to hit below the belt. Still, it was looking grim for him, as the whole group was vastly outnumbered.

Xandor's fighting style did give her an idea, however unlikely it would work for her. As she struggled to free herself, she watched to see exactly where the most effective place to hit an Imperial stormtrooper was. She saw him kick at their knees and chests mostly, and attempted to do the same, bringing up her foot and putting all her strength behind the kick.

She didn't see where she hit, but it certainly accomplished what she was hoping for. The stormtrooper cried out, and relaxed his grip, not expecting that kind of attack. While he was distracted, she was able to break free of his grip and she ran to the only person closest to her, Luke.

He saw her coming, and attempted to keep the stormtroopers near him back, all the while trying to help Serena reach him before they realized she was free. He was closest to the door, and slowly but surely making progress. Perhaps if Serena could help him, they could clear a path.

Luck—or perhaps the Force, as Ben would argue— was certainly with the both of them. Serena had managed to make her way to Luke, with none of the Imperials noticing her, save the one she'd escaped from, who was pointing a blaster at her. She ducked as he shot, and the bolt struck the door, causing the rusted hinges to squeak and give out, opening the door. Luke couldn't help but smile for a moment at the fortunate moment of the occurrence. He was nearly there now, and there was nothing blocking him from being able to exit the shack. As Serena made it next to him, she attempted to remove the cuffs that held her hands behind her back, to no avail. She wasn't able to help him, and he couldn't use the lightsaber to remove them because the Imperials would certainly seize upon the opportunity to stop him. Some were now threatening to shoot at him, but when they did he managed to clumsily block the bolts, or at least duck, and while they kept their weapons raised, they did not attempt to shoot again.

He eyed the door. Sure, they could run for it, but that left Han, Chewbacca, and Xandor to fend for themselves, and they certainly couldn't defeat the stormtroopers. While they weren't lacking in skill, they were lacking in numbers and with Serena and Luke gone the odds went even more in the Imperials favor. There were at least fifteen, and while they'd faced more on the Death Star, they'd never been caught unaware and unprepared like this before. He didn't know what to do.

As he was debating, he heard Han call out to them, "What're you waitin' for? Run! Get outta here!"

"But –" Serena protested, her eyes wide with fear for her brother.

"Go!"

Luke didn't hesitate a second longer. If they escaped, they could try to rescue the others, but if they remained, they would eventually all be captured. He grabbed Serena's arm and bolted through the door, hearing Chewbacca's roar of farwell as he dragged a stunned Serena behind him. The Imperials didn't hesitate any longer, opening fire after the two escaping Rebels.

They were fortunate that the aim of the stormtroopers hadn't improved since their visit to the Death Star, and each bolt missed its target. Serena and Luke were both quick on their feet, and unhindered by the heavy armor that the stormtroopers wore. Soon they were out of sight, and Luke pulled Serena into another abandoned shack, when he heard their voices still close behind them. He hoped they didn't see either one of them enter, and would just continue past. They both remained silent, fearing that they were about to be caught.

"Did you see them?"

"No – come on, they can't have gone that far!"

"Are you sure they aren't hiding here somewhere?" At that comment, both of the Rebels tensed.

"They'd know we'd search the buildings first and try to run further away. We can catch them if we don't stop to search every building!"

"Yes, sir."

They heard the stormtroopers footsteps continue on, eventually fading from their hearing. Still, they both remained completely silent, fearing that they were being tricked and the stormtroopers would burst into the building as soon as they realized where the two were.

Luke was the first to break the silence, "Let me get those off you."

She nodded mutely and pulled her hands further away from her back, and heard the lightsaber ignite. Luke carefully lowered the blade and sliced them off. He was surprised that Serena had no reaction, just staring mutely forward at the door.

He sighed. He knew she felt guilty about leaving her brother, Chewbacca, and even Xandor, whom they'd just met, in the hands of the Imperials, but she had to know they were going to go back for them, right?

"Serena? You alright?"

She shook her head, still staring forward. He heard her whisper something, "...all my fault."

He instantly shook his head, "No. Serena, listen to me. It's not your fault. You didn't know -"

"That's not an excuse." She mumbled, guilt-stricken. She continued to stare blankly at the door, her grief too great to express.

Luke ran his hand through his hair, frustrated with her lack of response. He would have preferred anything over her emotionless state right now: anger, tears, or even just fear would have been preferable to this.

He thought he might know of one way to at least get some kind of response from her, and admitted it was something he wanted to do for a long while. Maybe it wasn't the smartest thing to do, but it was something he knew would either go horribly wrong, or maybe help her feel better. He flushed, while it was wishful thinking, he certainly hoped it would.

He pulled her chin up, so she was looking him in the eyes, "Serena…" Then his mouth went dry. He'd only done this a few times before, and hoped he wasn't scaring her away. He didn't think he could take that.

He saw her eyes widen for a moment, then narrow in confusion. Well, those were better reactions than he'd been expecting.

Luke cupped her chin, and brought his face closer to hers, "It's going to be alright. We'll get them back."

Then, he brought his lips to hers, and he was kissing her.

* * *

><p><em>Damn, that wasn't how this chapter was supposed to go at all haha. These characters certainly have minds of their own sometimes. Well, I'm not going to lie, that wasn't going to happen for a while yet but hey, I hope you're not too disappointed by it :P. I wanted to write more, but it was the perfect place to stop, and I decided to be a little evil this time. Don't worry, I hope I won't take so long with the next chapter. I hope you guys liked it, and reviews are appreciated ;P<em>


	13. Old Friends

_It was difficult to motivate myself to actually sit down and write this chapter. I don't know why, but lately I've been extremely lazy and don't feel like doing _anything_. Hopefully, this lazy streak will pass and I'll start trying a little harder…:P_

_Disclaimer: I don't think these are necessary anymore, but I still don't own Star Wars, and I doubt I ever will._

**Chapter 13: Confessions**

* * *

><p>Serena froze, as shocked by Luke's action as Luke now was that he'd actually done it. When she froze, his heart sank and he prepared to pull away. He was so certain she felt the same way, now he might have ruined their friendship—<p>

All rational thought disappeared when he felt her start to respond. At first it was gentle, his hands moved to cradle her to him and she relaxed against him. The tender moment instantly gave way to an almost passionate assault, as Serena's hands cupped his face and pulled him closer to her— if that were even possible. The feel of her against him made it difficult for him to think rationally, and when Serena felt Luke's tongue demand entrance into her mouth, she sighed and eagerly responded. Both seemed to disregard their need for air, and so they were both beginning to feel light-headed.

This brought Luke back, reluctantly, to reality. He pulled away to look at her flushed face. She looked faintly stunned and extremely disappointed. Still, she smiled, "I wasn't expecting that." She sounded a little breathless.

Luke imagined he probably sounded the same, but he laughed, feeling somewhat awkward at that moment, "I've wanted to do that for a while."

She flushed a bit, as well, but looked pleased, "In all honesty, farm boy, I have too. And I appreciate how you snapped me out of it; most people would have just slapped me."

"I think we both preferred my way." Luke was blushing horribly now, but he didn't want her to notice so he looked away.

Serena leaned against Luke's chest before he could pull away. While he'd managed to distract her for a while, she was now thinking about her brother, Chewie, and even Xandor. She hoped they were alright, "Do you think we'll get them back?"

Luke held her tighter, attempting to comfort her, "I know we will."

They stood there for a moment, just enjoying the comfort of each other's embrace. While Serena did not enjoy the prospect of ending the moment, she knew they had to start looking for the others before something terrible happened.

She pulled away, reluctantly, noticing how cold it seemed without Luke's warmth surrounding her, "As much as I enjoy this—and believe me I do—we've got to start looking for the others."

He knew she was right, but he didn't have to be completely happy about it. He nodded though, and returned to business, "Alright. Where do you think we should start looking?"

Serena shook her head; Han was the one who knew this place well, not her, "I want to know how those stormtroopers managed to find us. Did someone tell them? Who would know—" She froze, knowing exactly who she and Luke had to search for.

Luke seemed to realize this too, "Reevor."

"It has to be him." She said, feeling intense anger towards the shady Rodian, "That slimy little rat!"

Luke seemed angry too, but kept his temper in check much better than Serena. He attempted to calm her, "Serena, I understand why you're angry—I am too—but Ben always told me we can't let anger cloud our judgment."

"_I'm_ not a Jedi, Luke. I'm allowed to be as angry as I please, and I think I'm pretty damn well justified!"

"I understand you're angry, but yelling at me isn't going to help anything. We need a plan."

"That's easy enough. Grab Reevor and see what he knows."

"Do you really think he'd stay around here? He's probably long gone. What we need is to find out where those stormtroopers are taking them. The best way to do that is if we leave the Skids and head back to the main part of the city. Someone up there has to know where the Imperial base is."

Serena sighed, feeling suddenly overwhelmed. This was supposed to be a simple mission. They'd find Xandor, and bring him back to the base, but _now_...

Now she and Luke were alone, her brother and longtime friend were captured, along with the man they were supposed to protect. She felt tears well up, but blinked them back and looked at Luke, "Then we've got work to do."

* * *

><p>Han struggled against the binders keeping his hands secured behind his back. After Serena and Luke managed to escape, the Imperials had no problem subduing the rest of them. Even Chewbacca, as mighty as he was, was no match for the number of Imperials who came after them.<p>

They were forced to march through Tyrena. Han noticed the crowds of people watching the stormtroopers march their prisoners along. They were whispering, no doubt considering them to be criminals. Well, technically, smuggling wasn't exactly legal, so Han _could_ be considered a criminal, but he was still irritated that those people didn't have anything better to do. He always considered himself an expert at making daring escapes from the Imperials—the Death Star being only one example, though it was the most impressive.

He'd been considering ways to escape ever since they subdued Chewbacca, but there were too many guards, and Chewie, with all his strength, was currently wearing a shock collar in order to keep him under control. Unless they managed to remove the shock collar, Chewbacca would only get in the way, and Han and Xandor wouldn't be able to carry the wookiee to safety.

While he was growing more nervous the longer they marched, he still maintained an air of confidence, smart-mouthing the stormtroopers whenever he had the chance. They would threaten him, but he knew they wouldn't do much until they arrived at the base, so he continued his taunts.

"What're you plannin' on doing with us, exactly?"

"Han," Xandor hissed as quietly as he could, "Be quiet. You're just gonna make it worse."

He smirked, "They're just talk."

"Quiet, you!" the stormtrooper to Han's right shouted, whacking Han on the back of the head with his rifle. The smuggler winced, and Chewbacca growled quietly. Han shook his head, knowing they would shock the wookiee at the first sign of trouble.

The stormtrooper must have noticed Han glance in Chewbacca's direction, "Just wait until you both get yours." He made his point by quickly activating the shock collar for a short time. Even though it was a quick shock, Chewbacca roared in agony and attempted to rip the collar from his neck.

Han couldn't help feeling guilty for causing that to happen to Chewbacca, and he couldn't quite conceal the look of anger on his face while the stormtrooper forced Chewie to keep walking, despite his pain. He knew the only reason he and Xandor didn't have shock collars was because the Imperials only brought one with them, and Chewbacca, being the biggest threat, was the one who was forced to wear it. They had to escape before he and Xandor got their shock collars, or they would have a much harder time escaping, even if Luke and Serena were planning to rescue them. Han knew Serena and Luke would try to help them, but he didn't know how their plan would work out. The smuggler knew they would be too late to stop the stormtroopers from delivering himself, Chewie, and Xandor to the Imperial base. Maybe they could sneak in, but he knew neither of them knew their way around the city, and it could be a long while before they found out where the base was.

Han was so caught up in thoughts of escaping that he didn't realize they arrived at the Imperial base until one of the stormtroopers nudged him through the doors. The base was small, but orderly, with employees efficiently working under the watchful eyes of the Imperial officers. None of the Imperials so much as blinked at the presence of prisoners. Han figured this must be a common enough sight. He knew this was where they would receive their collars in order to keep them from escaping easily.

He wished he was able to come up with a good plan, but the Imperials had the advantage in every escape attempt he thought of. He knew the only thing they could do was wait for Serena and Luke to come up with a plan to rescue them...or at least, he _hoped_ they would.

They took the turbo lift. The ride up was silent—none of the prisoners dared speak, while the stormtroopers simply didn't care to. Chewbacca fidgeted uncomfortably in the small space, but there wasn't much any of them could do, as no one had any room to maneuver. Fortunately, the turbo was fast and they were quickly forced out.

The stormtroopers continued leading the Rebels through the base. When they finally arrived at their destination, Han certainly wasn't expecting to be brought into what looked like a politician's office. He glanced around curiously, noticing stacks of paperwork, a simple desk and a small holo, but the rest of the room was quite plain. A human man was sitting in the chair at the desk, his back turned to them. He must have heard their footsteps, and spoke, "Hello, Han."

Han couldn't hide his shock. He knew that voice anywhere.

* * *

><p>Serena and Luke wandered the Skids, attempting to listen for any conversations concerning the Imperials. They knew that someone here had to have seen the stormtroopers dragging off a human, a wookiee, and a Twi'lek. She knew that was an unusual sight, even in the Skids. Usually, the stormtroopers avoided the area entirely, so any sighting of them would immediately alert the residents.<p>

Serena glanced around once more. She could only remember one time the stormtroopers came to the Skids.

* * *

><p><em>Serena ran through the dirty alleyways with a few of the other children who lived in the Skids. Her father and Han were both out working, and were forced to leave her alone. She didn't mind, really, but sometimes she wished they were around more. They tried explaining to her that if they didn't leave to work, they wouldn't be able to eat, but she didn't really understand the concept quite yet.<em>

_She made do with the loneliness, and instead of remaining in their home like she promised her father, she left to play with the other children. She didn't understand why it was such a big deal that she remain in her home. It was boring in there and her new friends were much more entertaining._

_One of her neighbors, a boy called Dillon, borrowed his father's Dejarik board, and was attempting to teach the other's the rules. Serena never played Dejarik before so she hung to every word Dillon said about the game. She was jealous that he had something to play with when he was stuck inside, and wished that she could have something like that. _

_Still, she didn't let the opportunity pass her by and immediately volunteered to play with him when he asked if anyone wanted to. Most of the other children were bored with the game and left to do 'something more fun', as one of the older boys put it. Serena and Dillon played for awhile, but Serena never really quite got the hang of the game. She understood the rules well enough, but she was too young to come up with strategies, and since Dillon was a bit older he understood the rules a bit more, though he was certainly no expert._

_They had a fun night, but Serena knew she would have to leave before Han and her dad got home, or else she knew she would be in trouble. She said goodbye to Dillon and quickly ran back to her house, which luckily wasn't too far away. _

_She was about to open her door, when she heard a loud crash._

_Serena turned around, and was shocked to see men in white armor, with helmets hiding their identities, terrorizing a younger man. She didn't know who he was, and was certain she'd never seen him around here before. Though she was young, Serena knew those helmeted men were trouble, and immediately ran in her house, locking the flimsy door behind her. She couldn't contain her curiosity, however, and peeked out the window._

_"Take me in if you want, but you're not getting anything from me." The young man glared defiantly at the two armored men. _

_"I wouldn't be sure of that." The armored man on the right said, pulling out some kind of circular device, about large enough to fit around the man's neck. _

_The young man's eyes widened in fear, and Serena was beginning to feel nervous herself, but she couldn't look away. _

_The stormtrooper who hadn't spoken moved quickly, forcing the young man to hold still while the other quickly snapped the collar around his neck. There was a moment's pause before there was a loud cry of pain and electricity shot through the device. Serena flinched and looked away; she'd never seen such cruelty before. Even the thugs in the Skids, while they could be cruel, usually left the people there alone, due to the fact that they had little money._

_The young man finally stopped screaming, and slumped to the ground._

_"Let's take him back to the base."_

_The other stormtrooper nodded and they both lifted the man up and carried his unconscious body out of the Skids._

* * *

><p>Serena shook her head. She could remember that day like it was yesterday. Luke must have noticed her distraction because he was now looking at her curiously, "Serena?" he questioned, "Is something wrong?"<p>

She smiled at him, "I was just thinking about what it was like here before. Not much has changed."

He moved closer to her, grabbing her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze, "Maybe you're just not seeing the change."

"They're still the same. The thugs still terrorize the one's too afraid to speak up. No one here will help us."

Just as she finished her accusation, she heard a familiar voice speak up from behind her, "If you're looking for the three Rebels that were dragged away, I think I can help you."

Serena turned, startled by the unexpected interruption, while Luke mumbled to her, "You were saying?"

She glared at him, but returned her attention to the man standing before them. He was tall and slightly muscular, with short brown hair and a seemingly honest demeanor. He certainly looked trustworthy, but they had already been betrayed by someone's supposed 'help' before, so she wasn't going to accept that so easily.

"And why should we believe you?" She glared.

"Serena! He could be our only chance to find them." Luke muttered, attempting to calm the hostile smuggler.

Fortunately, the man didn't seem affected by Serena's accusation, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised you didn't recognize me. I've changed a lot since the last time we met."

She looked at him curiously, attempting to figure out where she'd seen this man before. Now that he mentioned it, he did look familiar.

"I only recognized you when I heard your friend say your name. You've changed a lot, as well."

She was getting impatient, especially since he still hadn't introduced himself, "Who _are _you?"

He flushed a bit then, "Oh, right. Sorry—sometimes I get a bit carried away."

Serena just continued staring at him, waiting for him to elaborate.

"My name's Dillon. Dillon Dral."

Her eyes widened. It couldn't be. He'd certainly grown from the awkwardly skinny young boy she used to play with. What were the chances that she would run into him now of all times?

"Dillon? I can't believe it!" All traces of her former hostility had faded away to be replaced with joy. She hadn't seen him for years.

"Glad you remembered me. I'd feel like an idiot, otherwise."

She laughed, "I can't believe I didn't recognize you. You're still the same as you were back then."

Luke awkwardly stood back, watching the two of them interact. He didn't know if he should introduce himself, or allow the two to finish their conversation.

Serena noticed Luke's awkwardness and grabbed his hand, pulling him closer, "Dillon, this is my…" She paused. She wasn't sure how to introduce him. They were more than friends, but she didn't want to assume anything, "…friend, Luke." She didn't mention his last name. Even if Dillon was her friend, she didn't know if he would turn in the famous Luke Skywalker in for the descruction of the Death Star.

"Nice to meet you, Luke." Dillon smiled, offering his hand.

Luke shook it, "Thanks. You too."

"As nice as it is to see you Dillon, I can't help but remember that you offered us some information." Serena spoke up, unable to resist asking about it any longer. The longer Han, Chewbacca, and Xandor were imprisoned, the less of a chance they would have to escape.

"I'll tell you everything I know." He responded, and Serena couldn't keep a relieved smile off her face.

Maybe they would be able to save the others after all.

* * *

><p><em>I know, it's kind of a slow chapter, but I felt like I had to add these parts in to explain what both groups were doing. Don't worry—I promise the next chapter will be much more interesting, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter despite the slower parts! As always, reviews are appreciated ;P<em>


	14. Trouble

_Hey guys! Sorry for the long breaks! I'm trying to write these faster, but things keep coming up. Please be patient with me! I'll try to update faster! :) HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, only my OC('s)_

**Chapter 14: Trouble**

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><p>"I can't tell you here— too many witnesses, you know?" Dillon gave them a small smile, "Let's finish this conversation at my place."<p>

He led Serena and Luke through the Skids, weaving through them as only one who had lived there his whole life could. He knew what places were safe enough for them to travel through. Serena was relieved to have found her childhood friend at such a convenient time. He was able to lead them through the Skids easily—he certainly knew his way around better than Serena. Dillon would certainly be an asset to them. Luke, for his part, was oddly quiet.

"Serena?" He whispered, careful to ensure that Dillon was far enough ahead not to overhear him.

She glanced in his direction, understanding that he wanted this conversation to only be between the two of them, "What?"

"Are you sure he's still the same person you used to know? What if he's —"

"Luke," She cut him off, "I understand why you don't trust him, but Dillon's always been honest. I could always tell when he was lying...I hope that hasn't changed."

"And if it has?"

Her lips tightened into a hard line, "I'd still follow him. He's the only lead we've got."

Luke sighed. He understood her reasoning to a degree, but he still didn't like being forced to blindly trust a man he'd only just met. Maybe it had something to do with the way he acted so...familiarly with Serena that upset him, or maybe Dillon was actually planning something. Either way, he couldn't deny that there was something about the man he didn't like.

With their conversation at an end, Serena and Luke continued to follow Dillon. Fortunately for the two Rebels, Dillon didn't seem to hear their conversation...or at least he didn't acknowledge it. An awkward silence took hold, though Serena honestly didn't realize it. She was too caught up with her thoughts. It was the first moment she had time to really think about what happened. She wanted to avoid thinking about it, so she decided to attempt to ease some of the tension, "Where do you live now, Dill?"

Dillon smiled at the nickname, "North Tyrena."

"_North_ Tyrena? Not the Skids?" Her eyes widened.

Luke seemed a bit confused about the significance of those places so Serena elaborated, "North Tyrena is one of the most expensive places in the city. How'd you manage to get a house there?"

"I...managed to get a good job. You know—decent pay, normal hours."

She smiled, "That's impressive, especially for someone from the Skids. I'm surprised you managed to land a decent job, most people find out you're from the Skids and immediately kick you out."

"Guess I got lucky." He didn't quite meet her eyes.

Luke couldn't keep quiet any longer, "So why were you in the Skids?" Something about the story rang false.

Dillon sighed, seeming genuinely upset, "Despite my begging, my father refuses to leave the Skids. He's got too much pride and refuses to accept my 'charity', as he puts it."

Serena shook her head, "Some people just don't like change. Maybe he'll come around."

"It's been three years. I don't know if he'll ever change his mind."

Serena didn't know how to respond to that, so the awkward silence continued. When Dillon finally led them out of the Skids, Serena smiled at the much more welcoming sight of clean streets, and the pleasant smell of fresh air.

Luke openly appreciated the change of scenery, smiling brightly at her, which caused her stomach to flutter and she couldn't resist smiling back. Dillon looked at the two of them curiously before continuing to lead them through the city.

"I still can't get used to the difference." Dillon remarked, "Come on—we'll take my airspeeder."

"You have your own airspeeder?" She asked, once more surprised. Dillon had certainly done well for himself.

He laughed, "Don't you have your own ship?"

"It's technically Han's..." Thinking about him made her pause for a moment, but she brushed her melancholy aside and continued, "but I see your point."

He approached a brand new, and expensive looking airspeeder. It was silver and still shined when the sunlight hit it, like he had only recently bought it. The sides of the airspeeder were sleek; it was actually pretty small, but Dillon swore it had more than enough room for them all.

"You weren't kidding about decent pay. I always wanted one of these." Luke gushed, glancing at the airspeeder with envy.

As the two boys began to discuss the vehicle, Serena was free to think about her brother and Chewie without worrying either one of them would notice.

_Chewie's probably putting up a good fight. He was always the tough one. And Han's probably driving them insane. Either way, they're not going to let the Imperials take them out without a good fight._

She felt tears prickle at her eyes, but she blinked them back. She had to believe they were alive. Without them, she didn't know what she would do.

"Hey, Solo!" She jumped when she heard Dillon's voice, "Come on! We're heading out!"

"Right..." She mumbled to herself, then shouted, "Coming!"

She rushed towards the airspeeder, and was almost at the door when she heard the sound of a blaster firing. She instinctively ducked, but she felt the bolt sail past her. She panicked, praying it wasn't more Imperials, and glanced in the direction.

She was greeted with the sight of a single male Trandoshan, but that was enough to ignite her fear.

"Solo." The Trandoshan hissed, and all Serena could do was stare at him dumbly, "I'm going to enjoy this."

It was Bossk.

* * *

><p>Han was completely speechless, which was unusual in itself. He never expected to see the man who stood before him again, especially in an Imperial base. He heard Chewie growl in confusion. Xandor was silent, attempting to make himself invisible.<p>

"What, Han? Didn't expect to see me?"

"Didn't think you'd be crazy enough to work with these clowns."

"Funny. I thought the same when I discovered you worked with the Rebels."

"The pay's good."

He smirked, "So is mine."

The man stood up, bringing his face into the light. Any doubts Han had towards the man's identity were instantly stripped away.

"Thrackan." He practically spat out the name is disgust.

"Han, I'm hurt. I'd have thought you'd be happier to see me...I am your cousin, after all."

* * *

><p>Serena shook herself out of her shock and immediately opened the door to the airspeeder and slammed it shut. She heard Bossk roar and charge after her. He was fast, and managed to grab onto the airspeeder as Dillon began to ascend, taking the bounty hunter along with them.<p>

"Dillon, he's on top of us!" Luke shouted, pulling out his blaster, just in case Bossk decided to try to break in.

Serena tensed up, still frozen in shock. She felt Bossk jump onto the airspeeder right before they took off, and now she couldn't hear him.

"Maybe he fell off?" Dillon said hopefully.

"I doubt it. From what I've heard of him, he does this kind of thing a lot." Serena supplied.

"Think he's working with anyone else?"

No one was able to answer Luke's question; they heard someone shifting on top of Dillon's airspeeder. Bossk must have managed to secure himself. They wouldn't easily shake him off.

"Dill, you can't head back to your house. We've got to lose Bossk first."

Dillon grunted, and Serena knew he wouldn't be arrogant enough to lead the bounty hunter right to his home, "How are we gonna get that thing off my airspeeder? I paid good money for this!"

"_That's_ what you're worried about?!" Serena shook her head, "Can't you try to shake him off?"

"I would, but there's too much traffic. I could hit someone else."

Bossk was oddly quiet, as if he was waiting for something to happen. Serena didn't like it...neither did Luke by his expression.

"What's he waiting for?"

Just at that moment, as if on cue, their airspeeder was hit, causing Luke and Serena to crash into the right side of the airspeeder. Luke hit the side, and Serena practically landed on top of him. She would have been more embarrassed in a different situation, but with Bossk attacking them, that was the least of her worries.

She turned to look out her window and her eyes widened. Bossk certainly hadn't come alone. He brought three other bounty hunters that Serena didn't recognize. She was just thankful Boba Fett wasn't involved, or she knew they would never be able to escape. At least with these few, she thought they might have a chance.

Bossk pulled out his blaster, aiming carefully at Serena. She flinched, ducking only just in time for the bolt to sail past her. Luke, unfortunately, did not see the blast coming and it hit him directly in the arm.

"Luke!" Serena cried out, gasping as Bossk decided to jump onto his own airspeeder. His weight caused Dillon's small airspeeder to lurch slightly to the left. Dillon swore, and grabbed the controls, desperate to move away from the bounty hunters. Unfortunately Bossk's pilot was much more skilled than Dillon, and he easily managed to prevent the man's escape.

Serena immediately began attending to Luke, checking his arm as Luke groaned in pain. She couldn't hide her guilt. If she hadn't dodged the blast, Luke wouldn't have been hurt. She could have at least warned him.

The wound was large, but the heat of the blaster bolt managed to cauterize the wound. She wouldn't have to worry about him bleeding out. Since the wound did not hit any vital area, it seemed Luke was— for the most part—alright. There wasn't much she could do; there were no medical supplies in Dillon's small airspeeder.

The bounty hunters certainly weren't going to wait for Serena to finish inspecting Luke's wound, and they certainly weren't worried about hitting or harming the civilians in the area. Dillon was struggling to dodge the blaster bolts and keep them from ramming into his airspeeder.

Luke groaned in pain, but managed to lift his arm to grab Dillon's shoulder, "Dillon, you've got to let me drive."

"What, why?! In case you haven't noticed, you're in no shape to fly." Serena objected.

"You know I could lose those bounty hunters without a problem." Luke retorted, a determined look upon his handsome face.

Serena gasped as the bounty hunters once again attempted to cause Dillon to crash. She didn't have long to consider. The smuggler knew that Luke was a much better pilot than Dillon, but would he still be able to fly properly with an injured arm?

Luke looked at her, "Serena, you know I can do this."

She saw the determined look in his eyes. Somehow, she found herself believing him, "Dillon, let Luke fly."

"Are you insane?! We can't just switch pilots while we're in the air!"

"If you don't let Luke fly, we're not going to make it."

Dillon frowned, but when the bounty hunters once again slammed into his airspeeder, he relented, "_Fine, _ but how the hell are we gonna switch?"

"I can try to keep them away while you two figure that out." Serena smirked, finally pulling out her blaster and aiming it at their pilot. The man noticed and quickly veered away from the airspeeder, flying to his side, using the bottom of their airspeeder to block her shots. Nevertheless, Serena fired, forcing the bounty hunters to remain at the side. She knew they would figure out a way to continue slamming into their speeder, but she figured she might be able to keep them away long enough for Dillon and Luke to change places effectively.

Dillon and Luke, meanwhile, wasted no time in changing places while Serena distracted the bounty hunters. Even though his arm was injured, Luke gritted his teeth and, while Dillon kept one of his hands on the controls, moved his injured arm to grip the controls. Dillon and Luke quickly moved, changing places with relative ease, thanks to Serena's successful distraction of Bossk and his crew.

Luke ignored the pain in his arm, he ignored the sounds of blaster fire, and the angry curses of the bounty hunters. He was in his element, flying came so naturally to him that when he gripped the controls, he knew exactly what he had to do. Quickly veering to the right, he managed to gain a little distance from the bounty hunters. Serena had stopped firing, he noticed. She decided firing at the bounty hunters was too dangerous now, due to the fact that Luke would be flying around the civilian airspeeders.

The bounty hunters pilot seemed confused at the sudden show of skill. No doubt he hadn't noticed the switch. Serena was amazed at Luke's skill, even with the injury to his arm. Dillon also seemed shocked, but said nothing, glad to see that Luke truly was as skilled as he claimed.

Luke dodged as the bounty hunters attempted to slam into their airspeeder once again. While they recovered from the failed attempt, Luke sped up, weaving skillfully around the other airspeeders, careful not to damage them. The bounty hunters were relentless in their pursuit, however, and their pilot was still skilled. He managed to stay close behind them, despite some of the more complicated maneuvers Luke attempted to use to lose them.

"Luke, I have an idea!" Serena called out, noticing the multitude of advertising billboards above them.

He nodded, too focused to answer, but Serena knew he was listening, "Do you think you could fly closer to those ads above us?"

He glanced up, before returning his attention to Serena, "Yeah, and I think I know what you're planning."

She smiled, and Luke instantly moved up, successfully confusing the bounty hunters for a moment before they launched after them.

Luke weaved through the billboards, skillfully dodging each one. The bounty hunters were losing distance and struggling to keep up with the skilled Rebel pilot, but continued to attempt to follow. When Serena glanced back, she saw the murderous look on Bossk's face and couldn't help but laugh.

While Luke was able to dodge the billboards with relative ease, the bounty hunter pilot struggled to maintain his speed while also dodging the billboards. Serena knew at any moment the pilot would either slow down or possibly run into one. Either way was fine with her, as long as she, Luke, and Dillon were able to escape unscathed.

Eventually, the inevitable did happen, the pilot grew overconfident with his abilities, and began to speed up. While he was closing the distance, Serena saw that he was barely dodging the billboards. She watched as the pilot hit the billboard with the side of his airspeeder and veered dangerously away. While he attempted to correct their position, he neglected to pay attention to what was in front of him, and slammed headlong into the next. Luke quickly took advantage of their incapability to move, and melded in with the rest of the traffic. Serena knew that by the time the bounty hunters recovered, they wouldn't be able to tell which airspeeder was the one they were pursuing. She sighed, and smiled, hugging Luke from her seat in the back. Luke laughed, as well, but looked pale and exhausted. The smuggler knew the flying wore him out and the injury to his arm must have been painful.

Dillon, who was shaking from the close encounter, managed to give Luke instructions to his house. The three sat in silence, relishing the feeling of peace it brought.

Serena hadn't been paying much attention, until she heard Dillon say, "Here—I live here."

Luke turned to a large, expensive looking home. Serena's eyes widened at the large building, surrounded by a well cared for yard and other houses just as lovely. As Dillon got out of the airspeeder, Serena followed and moved to help Luke out, noticing how worn out he looked.

They had arrived at Dillon's home, and would, hopefully, be able to come up with a plan to rescue the others.

* * *

><p><em>And there it is! Hope you enjoyed despite its lateness. I've actually been thinking ahead to ESB. I'm excited to get to a certain part in that movie. I wonder if any of you can guess it? ;) Anyway, hope you guys have a fantastic Thanksgiving, and I will see you when I update next.<em>

_Remember: reviews are welcome! ;)_


	15. Calling for Help

_This chapter's coming up early because, for the first time in months, I am actually able to just sit down and _write_. It's so nice :)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. That is a privilege exclusively to George Lucas, but I make up for it by owning my OC('s)._

_Just a quick note, Thrackan is actually Han's cousin. I may have altered him a bit, but he does actually exist. :)_

**Chapter 15: Calling for Help**

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><p>Luke slowly exited the airspeeder, careful not to further irritate the wound on his arm. He glanced up at Serena, smiling at her warmly before returning his attention to Dillon. The man appeared to be much more relaxed, though Luke noticed he still seemed a bit anxious as he led them into his home.<p>

The interior of the house was just as magnificent as the exterior. He and Serena were stunned by how well off Dillon actually was. Even though he made it sound much like a rags to riches story, Luke instantly grew more wary of the man. Despite his previous friendship with Serena, it was too convenient for one of her friends to appear out of nowhere, rescue them, and now attempt to help them find her brother. Maybe he was paranoid, but he preferred to air on the side of caution. Serena, on the other hand, seemed a little wary of her friend, but she seemed to trust him.

The first thing they did was find some med packs for Luke's arm. The blaster bolt struck right under his shoulder, and it was growing more painful by the minute. Dillon quickly pulled out all of his medical supplies, which weren't extensive but more than Luke expected the man to have. Serena immediately began treating Luke's wound, applying a bit of bacta—or 'healing liquid'— to, hopefully, heal the injury. Luke was shocked to see that the pain instantly disappeared after she applied the bacta. She was so relieved she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him fiercely. Luke returned the hug, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her hair.

They both forgot about Dillon's presence until he cleared his throat. Serena and Luke both jumped back, blushes covering both their faces. Dillon laughed, and offered them a tour.

Dillon showed them around his home before Luke could begin to question him. He couldn't deny that he was impressed with the house. He'd never seen anything like it, since he lived on Tatooine his whole life. Serena was equally impressed, if not more so. Dillon spared no expense for his home, purchasing seemingly every possible thing he could ever need. The airspeeder they arrived in wasn't his only one. In fact, he had quite a few lining the side of his home, each was a different type but they were all magnificent. Luke knew he was jealous of that, at least.

After the tour, Dillon led them all to the dining area and gestured to them to have a seat. They both gratefully accepted, but Luke continued to keep an eye on the man. The Rebel pilot planned on questioning Dillon as soon as he joined them.

However, when Dillon sat down, he was the one who immediately questioned the two Rebels, "So, what were you two doing here in the first place? And what got you caught up with Imperials and bounty hunters, of all things?"

Serena hesitated, glancing at Luke. He subtly shook his head in her direction, hoping she realized his objection to sharing that they were Rebels. She seemed to notice, "We just wanted to see what was going on in Corellia. Then Han angered a few of the Imperials and—well, you know the rest."

Dillon looked at her suspiciously, obviously not believing her version of events. However, he let that go, but Luke knew he would try to bring it up again, "And how did you meet him? Are you two...?"

Serena's face instantly reddened, causing Luke's to do the same. She spluttered, "Uh...well—"

Dillon began laughing, raising up his hand to cut her off, "Never mind. I think I know the answer to that."

A moment of silence passed between them, and Luke—still slightly flustered from Dillon's previous question—immediately seized upon the opportunity, "I can't help but think it's a little convenient that you just _happened_ to show up when we needed help."

Serena glared at him, "Luke, you're being—"

"No, it's alright." Dillon stared at him for a moment, "You don't believe I'm just trying to help?"

"No."

"Well, believe it or not, I am." Dillon looked a little hurt by the statement, "I actually brought you here to talk about that."

"Dill, what are you trying to say?" Serena said, instantly alert.

He sighed, "I couldn't tell you out there or you wouldn't have come with me."

"What couldn't you tell us?" Luke asked, cautiously reaching for his blaster.

"Look—before I say anything, you should know I just want to help."

"_What _did you want to help with?" Serena asked, also checking to ensure her blaster was ready. She didn't want to believe her old friend would do something like this.

"I—I sort of lied to you on the way here. Nothing big!" He immediately attempted to reassure the two Rebels, "I just didn't bring it up..."

"Dillon, if you don't tell us what you're hiding _right_ now..."

"Okay, okay." He held up his hands in surrender, "I'm...I'm an Imperial."

Serena's eyes widened, but Luke's reaction was quick. He pulled up his blaster and aimed it directly at Dillon. Dillon didn't attempt to defend himself, or even run. He just stood there with a sad look upon his face, like he expected this reaction.

"Why would you lie to me like that, Dillon? Are you planning on turning us in?" Serena glared at him angrily, pulling out her blaster, as well.

The Imperial couldn't hold back his anger at that comment, "I did lie to you, but I know you lied to me too! I _know_ you're Rebels. That kid's face is plastered all over the holonet—yours is too if you look hard enough! If I really wanted to turn you in, I could have done it a while ago."

Serena glanced at Luke, not surprised but upset by the news. Luke didn't acknowledge the news; he continued to point his blaster at the newly revealed Imperial, "Why should we believe you?"

"Because if I really wanted to get you two captured, I'd have taken you right to the Imperial base."

Luke kept his blaster up, but Serena seemed more inclined to believe him, "Luke, think about it. If he was going to turn us in, why would he tell us he's an Imperial?"

Luke couldn't quite answer her question, but wasn't about to let Dillon out of his sight, or blaster range.

"I understand why you don't trust me, but I'm only trying to help." Dillon pleaded, realizing that anger would not win the Rebel over.

Luke hesitated. He was right about Dillon, but Serena still wanted to trust her old friend. Maybe he was sincere, but if he wasn't they would pay dearly for it.

"Convince me." Luke said, noticing how conflicted Serena seemed to be about the revelation.

Dillon slowly stood up, mindful of the blaster still aimed his way. He didn't really blame Luke. He knew he would do the same if he were in their shoes, but he couldn't help but feel a little irritated at his lack of trust.

He led them through the long hallways of his home, careful not to arouse Luke's suspicion. He was walking on a fine line; he knew that, even though Serena was inclined to believe him, she or Luke—_especially _Luke—wouldn't hesitate to stop him if he endangered them.

He led them to his office, where he did most of his work for the Empire. His uniform was hung neatly near the door, freshly pressed and adorned with the insignia upon it, showing him to be a Lieutenant. However, the uniform wasn't the reason he brought them into his private office. He brought them here to prove he could be trusted. He led them to his private terminal.

Dillon hesitated. Was he willing to betray the Empire for a friend? Even if they did manage to rescue Han, there was a possibility that his superiors could discover his betrayal. He had nothing against the Empire, but he really didn't feel any loyalty towards it. It was just a job, one that he happened to be good at.

Luke glared, "Well, what were you going to show us?"

He shook his head. No—the Empire wasn't worth dying for. He quickly punched in the pass code and brought up the display. He only had access to the Imperial base where he worked, but that was all the two Rebels needed. Hopefully, this information would make them believe him.

"Is that...?" Serena questioned, her eyes brightening with hope.

"This is the entire layout of the Imperial base here on Corellia. I have access to most of the base, and I should be able to get you inside easily enough, if I can disguise you well enough."

"How do we know you won't give us up as soon as we walk in?" Luke glared, still not trusting Dillon, but he did lower his blaster.

"Haven't we gone over this already? You're going to have to trust me."

"And that's the problem—I don't."

Serena remained silent, examining the map of the base with interest. Despite her wariness of Dillon, she desperately wanted to find the others, "What's your plan?"

Dillon looked at the two of them nervously, not knowing if they would accept, "I was thinking that we could disguise Luke as a stormtrooper. I have my old uniform..."

"You expect us to believe you were a stormtrooper? Aren't they all clones?" Serena interrupted, glaring at him in suspicion.

"That's a myth. There are plenty of non-clone stormtroopers. I should know. I was one. I even have the uniform to prove it.

Luke interjected, "I don't think he's lying. Besides, I've had experience with this, but I don't know if it's a good idea."

"You're forgetting that _I'm_ an Imperial officer. Not that high ranking, but I do rank higher than a stormtrooper. I could give you access to the base, easily."

Serena considered it, "What about me? Don't I need a uniform?"

"No - If one of the officers stop you, you're going to have to speak, and there aren't female stormtroopers."

She rolled her eyes, "So how am I going to get in?"

Luke smirked, remembering their adventure on the Death Star, "I think you're going to have to be a prisoner. You'll be our way into the prisons, where they're keeping the others."

Dillon nodded, "Exactly."

She crossed her arms, "Typical. I get to be the prisoner again."

Luke smiled at her, "It won't be for long."

"I hope not."

Dillon cleared his throat, "There's...something else you should probably know."

Serena glanced at him curiously, gesturing for him to continue.

"The commander...he's...well— he's you're cousin."

Serena's eyes widened, feelings of horror, and disgust overwhelming her. She had driven all memory of that man from her mind, only to now discover he was the head of the Imperial army here. Thrackan Sal-Solo was a cruel, sadistic man who enjoyed making others feel inferior to him. If he was in power, she could only imagine what he would do to Han.

"Serena? Are you alright?" Luke asked, looking concerned for her.

She shook her head. If Thrackan was the one who ordered Han to be brought to the base, she could only imagine what he was doing to her brother.

"Serena, talk to me. Who's this cousin? Why didn't you mention him before?"

She turned to face Luke. Dillon backed away, already knowing most of the story by hearing it from Thrackan.

"I didn't tell you about him because I'm...ashamed of him."

"Why?"

Unable to look him in the eyes, she glanced down and began her story, "Remember when I told you Han had to find work in the Skids?"

Luke nodded, not wanting to interrupt her.

"He wasn't working by choice. He was forced to join the gangs. If he didn't..." Luke understood what she was hinting at, and she continued, "one of the crime bosses who ran the gangs was called Garris Shrike, and he was known for his viciousness and influence in the Skids. No one dared to cross him, but unfortunately, Han managed to screw up a job pretty badly. Garris was furious, and went after him. Han knew we had to get out of there and we ran that night before Garris could send anyone after us."

"How did you get away?"

She shook her head, "I don't remember much. I just remember hiding, and listening to Han mumble something about 'other family'. He must have found something on our relatives—I don't know how. He led me through the streets until we found this house somewhere in Tyrena. Han was desperate and knocked on the door, hoping he was right and we really did have family there. A woman answered the door, looking fairly disturbed at seeing us. Han introduced himself, and me, but she panicked and fled. Han thought we came to the wrong house until a boy a little older than Han answered the door, confirming our suspicions that they were Solo's."

She took a deep breath, not really wanting to continue but knowing she had to, "He didn't seem to happy to see us, but he let us in. I don't know how long we stayed there, but I think we were there for awhile. The boy who answered the door told us his name was Thrackan Sal-Solo. He accused us of upsetting his mother, who apparently hadn't seen her relatives in years. Honestly, I didn't pay much attention to his rant. In the end, we were allowed to stay with them, but it wasn't much better than hiding on the streets."

"Why?" Luke asked, while Dillon simply remained silent, allowing her to gather her thoughts.

"Thrackan was a bully. He enjoyed having power over others, and especially enjoyed forcing Han and me to help him with his chores around the house. He was pretty big, and neither of us knew how to defend ourselves back then, so we usually just did what he asked us. We didn't realize how sick he was until one day he asked us to follow him into the garden. He showed us what he did out there. " She grimaced, clearly disturbed by her memory, "He—he was torturing small animals back there, and the more he realized it bothered Han and me, the more he did it. Han tried to keep me away from the garden, but after seeing how disturbed we were by his actions, he always made us come back with him. Eventually, after about a month of this, Han decided Thrackan was getting out of control and he snapped, punching him right in the side of his face. It must have been a pretty good punch because Thrackan hit the floor and was out cold. Before our aunt found out what we'd done–not that she'd care, she was never around—Han grabbed my hand and we got out of there as quickly as possible, and we never saw him again."

Luke interrupted, "Until now."

She sighed, "Unfortunately. I'm actually not surprised he works with Imperials, though. It suits him."

"Do you think he knows you're here too?" Luke asked, more to Dillon than Serena.

Dillon nodded, "It's likely he knows. He's actually fairly intelligent, which makes him more dangerous."

"As much as I hate to admit it, he was pretty smart. We're going to need more help, especially if we're planning on breaking into the base."

"Do you think we could contact Leia? She'd help us."

"She'd definitely help if we could contact her. We could use Dillon's comm."

"Do you think she'd answer an unidentified call?"

"Possibly–if she knew it was one of us."

"Maybe we should head back to the _Falcon_ and use that comm. She'd definitely answer that."

Serena shook her head, "The Imperials might be waiting for us to try that. We can't risk it."

Luke finally agreed, "Alright, but I don't know if this call will even go through."

He punched in the codes and attempted to call Leia's personal comm. He hoped the Rebels hadn't changed the required codes or he knew he'd never get through.

"_Unidentified caller, identify yourself_." A distinctly male voice came through Dillon's comm. He sounded cautious.

Luke took in a deep breath, "It's Luke Skywalker and Serena Solo. We need–"

"_Luke? Serena? Where are you two? And where's Han and Chewie_?" Luke was instantly cut off as Leia's voice came over the comm.

Luke relaxed significantly, grateful they were able to get through, "There's a lot to tell you, Leia."

"_Are you alright_?" She seemed concerned.

"Yeah, for the most part."

"_Luke, tell me what's going on. Why haven't you reported back yet? And you still haven't told me where Han and Chewie are_."

"It's a long story, Leia..." He began to tell her about their entire trip to Corellia, sparing very few details. Leia hadn't interrupted him once. Serena knew Leia was listening intently; the princess was never one to interrupt. Leia preferred to know all the details, and instantly went into action.

When Luke finished, Leia remained silent for a moment longer, "_Where are you both now_?"

That was the one part of the story Luke didn't reveal over the comm. If he announced they were with an Imperial, he knew that, not matter how much Leia wanted to help them, the Rebels would cut communications so the Imperials could not trace the call. Even though Dillon did not seem the type to do that, Luke would be careful to erase any existence of the communication before he left.

"Uh, we're..."

Serena cut in then, "We'll meet you when you land. Just make sure to stay out of sight."

Leia agreed, though she seemed troubled, "_I'll try to get as many men as I can to come with me, but we're spread pretty thin right now. After you left, Imperials were sighted near the base, and Mon Mothma wanted scouts patrolling the entire perimeter around the base. I don't know if we can spare anyone, but I will be there to help you both. I think Wedge is here too, along with a few of the Rogues. I'll try to get help. Meet us at the station_."

Luke agreed to her plan, "Hurry, Leia. I don't know how much time we have left."

"_I will. Be careful, you two_."

"We'll try, Leia. We'll try."

* * *

><p>A lot has been revealed this chapter. I hope I did it right. :) I updated early as a Christmas present for you guys. Hope you enjoy, and I hope you have a great Christmas and New Year (or whatever holiday you celebrate! :)), since I doubt I'll be updating until after those days. :)<p> 


	16. Another Rescue Mission

_I am so sorry for the delay. I had serious writer's block, a ridiculous amount of school work, and a lot of plans in the last month, but that doesn't matter anymore because I'm back! It feels good to be writing again! :)_

_Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story. I can't believe I've been writing it for a year already!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, and I doubt I ever will. I only own my OC('s)_

**Chapter 16: Another Rescue Mission**

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><p>"Alright, I'm heading over there. You wait here with Dillon." Luke ordered, as he started walking towards the door.<p>

"Hold on, Luke! You can't go alone. What if you're discovered?" Serena objected, grabbing his shoulder as he attempted to walk past her.

"Then I'll handle it."

"That's crazy. You're still recovering from that blaster wound. Let me go with you."

"You can't. If we all go, it'll make them suspicious."

"Then...then let me go instead."

"No." He quickly objected to her idea, "You have to stay here to watch Dillon. Your cousin could be more interested in finding you. You can be safer this way."

"Luke, you destroyed the Death Star! They're going to be more interested in finding you than me."

"We don't know what they're interested in. Please, Serena, just do as I say. Someone has to go and meet Leia. I doubt there'll be any trouble."

She frowned, considering his argument. She still didn't like it, but she knew that if they kept arguing, neither of them would win. It could last as long as Han and Leia's arguments, and if that happened, Leia would be stuck waiting for whoever finally won the fight, so she relented, "Fine. I just hope you're right."

He nodded, glad to see she wouldn't argue with him too much. They didn't have time for that.

Before Luke was able to do anything else, Serena pulled him in for a kiss, startling him, but only for a brief moment. He wanted so badly to stay with her, and involuntarily started to respond to the kiss, wrapping his arms around her and holding her securely against him. She sighed, but broke the kiss reluctantly, "You'd better get going if you want to be there before they arrive."

He nodded, and released her, smiling, "Yeah, you're right." He moved towards the door, before Serena interrupted him once more.

"And Luke?"

"Yeah?" He turned so he was facing her.

"Be careful."

He nodded, reassuring them that he would be fine, before finally leaving the two of them to wait for Leia at the spaceport.

* * *

><p>"He'll be fine."<p>

Serena jumped at the sound of Dillon's voice. She had almost forgotten he was there, "I hope you're right."

"I am. He looks like he can take care of himself."

"He can."

"Then why are you so worried?"

She glanced at Dillon. He made a good point. She knew Luke could take care of himself, but she still couldn't help but worry about him, "I don't know. I care about him—I don't want anything to happen to him."

Dillon grew quiet then. He noticed her short responses to his attempts to comfort her, and knew she was a little hesitant to trust him. While he couldn't blame her, it was a little frustrating.

"Serena, I know you don't trust me, but I'm really trying to help you."

She shook her head, "I don't know if you're telling the truth. I want to believe you, but I still have to be careful, for all our sakes."

"I guess that's fair."

She didn't respond to that, staring out the window to see Luke driving away in another of Dillon's airspeeders. She just hoped Leia would be there soon, so they could all get off this planet. She told Han she it was a bad idea to come to Corellia, and even though she only said that out of fear. She now realized that she was right.

* * *

><p>Luke just arrived at the spaceport, cautiously making his way around as he searched for Leia. In a way, he wished Serena was here with him for backup, but he quickly dismissed the thought. He didn't want to endanger her anymore than he had to, and bringing her out here with him would be a big mistake—especially since they needed to leave someone to watch Dillon. The former farmboy still couldn't believe they actually trusted an Imperial to help them rescue Han and the others, but somehow, even though he still was wary of the man, Luke felt that he could trust him. It didn't make sense, but his instincts were telling him Dillon was trustworthy, and Old Ben told him to trust his instincts. They'd saved him on more than one occasion.<p>

He checked the time. He knew Corellia wasn't very far from the base, so what was taking Leia so long? It was getting more and more risky for him to wait out here. He'd already had to avoid a few Imperial patrols just to ensure he would be able to find Leia.

The spaceport was large, but Luke waited by the exit to ensure he wouldn't miss Leia and whoever she brought with her. Just as he was starting to think something might have happened, he heard someone shout out his name.

"Luke!"

He glanced in the direction and smiled to see Leia making her way towards him, along with Wedge, Threepio, and Artoo.

"Hey!" He called out, forgetting to keep a low profile around the Imperials and ran to give Leia a hug.

"Master Luke, we are so relieved to see you are alright."

"I'm glad to see you too, Threepio."

Artoo whistled.

"And you too, Artoo." He then glanced at Wedge, smiling at his fellow Rogue, "It's great to see all of you." It was true. He felt much calmer knowing that they were all alright and would be a huge help for rescuing the others.

"Where's Serena?" Wedge asked, looking concerned.

"She's fine, and waiting with a…friend."

Leia noticed his pause, but didn't question it, "Alright. I suppose we're going there?"

"Yeah, I borrowed his airspeeder, so I can fly us all there in no time."

As they started making their way out of the spaceport, Luke realized that Wedge was the only Rogue Leia brought with her, "Leia, where are the other Rogues?"

She frowned, "That's why I was late. I was trying to find someone to join us, but, like I said before, we're spread pretty thin. No one was available to help, so we're on our own. Mon Mothma didn't even want me to come. She was worried something would happen to all of us, but I couldn't just stay there knowing you were in trouble."

He smiled at the Princess and Wedge, grateful to have such good friends who were willing to help him, even against Mon Mothma's wishes. But before he could say anything else, he heard a shout, "There he is!"

Luke glanced back and saw a group of about five stormtroopers making their way towards where Luke was leading Leia, Wedge, and the droids. Leia and Wedge quickly pulled out their blasters, and began to run while firing at the pursuing stormtroopers.

"We just need to make it to the airspeeder. They won't be able to follow us once we get in!" Luke shouted.

Wedge and Leia nodded, showing they understood. Artoo whirred in agreement, while Threepio just shouted in fear. He couldn't move as fast as the others, so they were forced to wait and try to hold off the stormtroopers while Threepio attempted to catch up.

When they finally arrived at the airspeeder, Luke had to frantically search for the key while Leia and Wedge continued firing at the stormtroopers. The civilians unfortunate enough to be near the fight screamed and ran in a panic, forcing Leia and Wedge to be careful so they did not accidentally shoot an innocent.

Fortunately, the stormtroopers were still incompetent and unable to match Leia and Wedge's skill with a blaster. Luke was able to unlock the airspeeder and everyone scrambled in. The delay had given Threepio enough time to catch up, so the group escaped the stormtroopers without much of a struggle.

As he flew the airspeeder away from the stormtroopers, Luke muttered, "I knew something like that was going to happen. Nothing is ever easy for us."

Leia laughed, "You said it. We should have expected that."

"So where does this 'friend' of yours live?" Wedge asked.

Luke sighed. He was going to have to tell them now, or there would be trouble later, "Not too far, but there's something I need to tell you before you meet him."

Neither of them spoke, and waited for Luke to continue.

"His name's Dillon Dral. We met him in the Skids. Serena said she knew him from when she and Han used to live here. He helped us after Han, Chewie, and Xandor were taken, since Han was our guide and we had no clue where we were going after he was gone. He rescued us and took us back to his place, but…" Luke hesitated.

"But what?" Leia demanded, feeling suddenly nervous about the whole thing.

"He told us something there that…"

"Luke, stop stalling and tell me."

"He's an Imperial!" Luke blurted out, then immediately regretted it. He was almost at Dillon's home and he knew Leia would not agree to enter the home easily.

"What?" Her eyes widened, then narrowed in anger, "You didn't think that was important to tell over the comm?"

"Oh _no_." Threepio said, knowing a fight was going to begin. Artoo simply remained silent.

"If I said I was with an Imperial you would've cut communications and no one would have come to help us."

She still continued to glare at him, "Then you should have told me as soon as you saw me. I can't believe you."

"Serena trusts him…and I don't think he'll try anything."

"You don't _think_ he'll try anything? Luke, you're being ridiculous—how can you be sure?"

"Leia—"

Wedge couldn't take the arguing, "Listen you two, we need to stay focused. I don't know how I feel about this Imperial, but if Serena and Luke trust him, we can at least give him a chance. He could be a big help."

Luke smiled gratefully at Wedge, while Leia glared at him, but after a long silence she relented, "_Fine_. We'll go with you, but only because I want to help the others. I still don't trust him."

"Thanks, Leia."

"Don't thank me yet."

They all exited the airspeeder, and Luke led them into Dillon's home, hoping that he would find Dillon and Serena in the office where Dillon worked. Leia and Wedge both examined the house with interest, searching for anything suspicious. Nothing so far indicated he was an Imperial—it looked like a normal house. But as they entered his office, Leia's eyes widened when she saw the Imperial officer uniform. Even though she knew this man was an Imperial, those uniforms brought back memories of when she was a prisoner on the Death Star.

Serena immediately jumped up and rushed over to them, pulling Luke in for a hug, "I was getting worried. You were gone longer than we thought you'd be!"

"I'm alright—so are the others." He said, revealing Leia and Wedge behind him. Serena smiled brightly and hugged them both, glad to see they made the journey. When she saw Threepio and Artoo, she greeted the droids, while Dillon nervously approached his new guests.

Leia's smile at seeing Serena faded when Dillon approached. The man looked nervous, his brown eyebrows scrunched, narrowing his eyes. He knew they had to know he was an Imperial, so he was preparing himself for their reaction to his presence.

Wedge acknowledged the man first, "You're Dillon, right? Luke told us about you."

Dillon nodded, glancing at Leia, "And you're Leia Organa." She glared when he said her name, but she wasn't surprised he knew her. Most Imperials did, "And I'm afraid I don't know who you are." He glanced at Wedge.

"Wedge." He didn't want to give the Imperial his last name, just in case he turned out to be a traitor.

"Well, has Luke filled you in on the plan?"

Leia glared, "No, but I don't think I want to be part of any plan of yours."

Dillon winced. He was expecting hostility but not this level of it. Leia was certainly a force to be reckoned with.

"Leia…please? Give him a chance. His plan is the only one that may work." Serena pleaded, desperate to start the rescue. She missed Han and Chewie.

Dillon hesitated, waiting for Leia's answer. She continued to glare at him, but sighed and nodded. He felt himself relax a bit, knowing that Leia would not pull out her blaster…at least not yet. He quickly explained his plan—getting Luke and Wedge stormtrooper armor and leading Serena, and Leia if she agreed, into the base as their prisoners, while Dillon would accompany them to lower suspicion, since everyone in the base knew Lieutenant Dral. Since the droids were unexpected, he immediately thought to bring along Artoo to access any doors he wouldn't be able to open, and leave Threepio back here to examine the map and give the group directions through their portable comm units.

Leia looked skeptical, "How are you going to get the armor?"

"I have one set, but to get the other, we're going to have to steal it."

"Where would we get it?" Wedge asked, "the only armor we could get to would be on the stormtroopers patrolling the city…"

"Exactly."

"So we're going to have to ambush them? Great." Leia sighed. She wanted to rescue the others, but Dillon's plan was risky.

"We don't have to ambush an entire patrol. I'm a Lieutenant. They all know who I am. I could lead one of them away from the others, where you could all ambush him and take his armor. The others won't even notice."

"It _could_ work." Serena added, hoping that both Wedge and Leia would agree to the plan.

"I think we should try it." Wedge said, after a brief pause. Serena smiled at her friend.

"I don't know. I don't want to put my life in his hands." Leia said, unafraid to state her opinion about Dillon, "Are there any other options?"

"Leia, they're in danger. We can't sit around and wait here forever!" Luke glared at the princess, getting frustrated. He wanted to rescue the others as much as Serena did. He knew Leia wanted to help them, so he hoped that yelling at her would make her see sense.

Finally, the princess nodded, "If this is the best we can come up with…I'll help."

After Leia's consent to the plan, the group immediately went to work. Serena smiled at Luke, glad to have more help for their rescue mission. When they finished preparing, they all decided that since it was getting late, they would proceed with the rescue tomorrow.

* * *

><p><em>It's finally done! I worked so hard on this chapter to get this up as soon as possible, since I felt so horrible about being late (again!). Thank you to anyone reading, and if you want to read more, check out the one-shot I posted. It takes place during ROTJ, and it features Luke and Serena! Hope you guys enjoyed, and I'll see you in the next chapter! :)<em>


	17. Breaking into the Base

_Look – it actually didn't take me more than a month to update(but I guess I'm not that early haha)! I'm just as surprised as you are. I also have to admit, this chapter was finished a few days ago, but I didn't upload it because I hadn't proofread it. My cat died, so I was focused on that for awhile. Still, I'm feeling better now, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)_

_Disclaimer: I still don't own Star Wars, but I wish I did._

**Chapter 17: Breaking into the Base**

* * *

><p>Serena was the first to wake, rubbing her eyes and slowly moving off the couch Dillon allowed her to sleep on for the night. As she finally managed to raise herself into a sitting position, she saw Luke still sleeping soundly on the floor beside her. Luke and Wedge, being the gentleman they were, insisted that Leia and Serena take the couches, while they slept on the floor. Looking back, she felt badly for accepting the gesture. Even though Luke's arm seemed to have healed quickly from the bacta, he should have gotten something more comfortable than the floor to sleep on. It might have helped him recover more quickly.<p>

Careful not to disturb the others, Serena carefully stepped over Luke and Wedge, and quietly made her way down the hall towards Dillon's office. Just as she was about to exit the room, she heard a quiet whine, and glanced back at Artoo. The little droid stayed awake to alert the group if Dillon attempted anything while they slept.

"I'm fine, Artoo. You don't have to worry about me."

The little droid beeped once more, but Serena couldn't understand what he said. She assumed he dropped the matter, and continued to head to the office. It wouldn't hurt for her to study the map before they left. Even though Threepio was going to remain in the office and give them directions if they got lost, she thought it would be a good idea to study the map herself just in case the comm didn't work, or something else went wrong.

She approached the terminal and accessed the mainframe with the codes Dillon gave each of the Rebels before they went to sleep. Before she found the map, she decided to make sure Dillon didn't attempt to contact the Imperial base, and searched for any recent calls sent out. The last logged call would have been to the Rebel Base, but Luke deleted it to ensure no one would be able to locate the Rebels.

The smuggler was relieved to find that Dillon did not attempt to contact the base, but felt a rush of guilt for her suspicion towards him. Although he understood why she was suspicious, he really hadn't done anything to raise her suspicions. She figured she could apologize to him if everything went according to plan after the rescue. She just hoped they would find the others in time.

She sighed, resting her elbows on the terminal and covering her face. Serena wanted to stay strong, but she knew she was getting close to breaking. Never in her life had she been parted from her brother for so long. Even when they were parted before, she knew he would be safe, but now she knew nothing. He could be dead, along with Chewie, and if they made it into the base only to discover they didn't make it...she didn't know if she would be able to handle it.

She closed her eyes, and breathed heavily. Crying about it wouldn't help Han or Chewie—or Xander, she had to remember, though he certainly wasn't as important to her as the others were. Maybe that made her selfish, but she didn't feel she owed Xander anything, while she owed Han and Chewie everything. Without them, she would have never survived. She sighed, swallowing the growing lump in her throat. She could only imagine what her brother would say, if he saw her like this. _He'd probably laugh at me, then try to cheer me up. He never liked tears._

She jumped when she heard footsteps approaching, but quickly relaxed when she saw Luke, his hair all matted from sleep, and dark bags under his eyes. Still, he looked concerned about her, "You alright?"

She smiled sadly, "No, but I will be."

"Want to talk about it?"

She shook her head, "It's too early. You need to sleep."

"So do you, but it doesn't look like you're going to."

Once again he managed to make her smile. He had a way of doing that, "How about we go back together, then?"

He glanced at her for a long moment, knowing she was attempting to divert his questions, but his exhaustion took over and he nodded, following her back. Their walk was quiet, but comfortable, and she somehow felt better, even though Luke hadn't said much. When he moved back to the floor, she shook her head, and led him to the couch, whispering, "No way, farm boy, you need the couch more than I do."

He looked confused, and looked like he was going to object, so she silenced him in the best way she knew how—by kissing him, and gently pushing him back on the couch, "Come on, farm boy, just this once, don't worry about me."

He shook his head, obviously frustrated with her, but he nodded. He was exhausted, and he quickly fell asleep. Serena took his place on the floor, knowing that no matter how tired she was, sleep would not come easily to her tonight.

* * *

><p>"Serena."<p>

She groaned, and rolled over, shoving her face into her pillow. Her entire body ached from being on the floor, and she did not want to get up.

"Serena!"

This caused her to bolt up, and she heard laughter. She sheepishly glanced around to see all the others wide awake and prepared.

"How long was I asleep?" She asked, attempting to flatten her surely matted hair, and stretch her cramped muscles. She was never sleeping on the floor again.

"Well, we've all been up for about an hour, but figured you deserved the rest." Luke said gently, smiling at her. He didn't tell the others about what happened earlier, and she was grateful for that.

"But now you've got to get ready quickly. We're heading out in fifteen minutes." Wedge told her.

She quickly jumped up, now fully awake, and grabbed her blaster and comm. She took a brief moment to attempt to make herself look more presentable, by brushing her long, brown hair and washing her face. However, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't hide the exhaustion clearly written upon her face. Still, she figured that was a good as she would get, and met up with the others right outside Dillon's house.

"Alright, everyone remember the plan?" Leia asked, taking charge as she usually did.

"Yeah." Wedge said, while the others simply nodded. They were going to get that other set of armor.

As Dillon led them to the common patrol routes, he reminded them, "Don't use your blasters. The other stormtroopers will hear them and come after you. You're gonna have to knock him out."

"Try to make him remove his helmet. It'd be a lot easier to take him out quietly if he didn't have that blasted armor on." Leia demanded, instantly switching from a concerned friend to a competent Rebel leader. Serena knew it was this attitude that allowed her to rank so high in the Rebellion, even at such a young age.

"Possibly, but it might make them a little suspicious. That's not a normal request."

"They don't question orders, do they?"

"Not usually."

"Then you should be fine." Leia said firmly, ending the conversation.

Dillon nodded, noticing from her tone that there was no time to argue. He would have to think of some way to convince the stormtrooper to do what she requested.

It wasn't long before they found one of the patrols, in their usual place.

"The Imperial influence here is greater than we realized." Leia mumbled to herself, obviously unsettled that the Rebellion managed to miss this crucial information.

Dillon turned to the group, "Go and hide in that alley."Serena saw a bit of the Imperial leader coming to the fore. She knew this commanding attitude helped him rise in their ranks, despite his claims of disliking their methods.

Dillon directed the group to an alley close to them. It was darker due to the shadows, but it wasn't too suspicious that the stormtrooper would be on his guard. He picked the perfect spot.

They did as he asked, though Serena knew Leia hated the idea of allowing Dillon to approach an Imperial patrol by himself. Who knew what he could tell them?

It didn't take long before Dillon convinced a stormtrooper to break from the group and follow him. Dillon was dressed in an Imperial officer uniform, and ranked higher than him, so the trooper really had no reason to refuse. They watched Dillon talk to the unsuspecting stormtrooper, but he was just out of their hearing range, so they had no idea what he was saying until he moved closer.

"—Perhaps it would be a good idea for you to remove your helmet? It's dark in here, and I know how they obscure your sight."

They shook their heads, "No, sir, I think I should keep it on. It's standard protocol—"

"I won't say anything. It will not hurt to remove them, even for a brief moment. No one will see you."

At his superior's insistence, the stormtrooper reluctantly removed his helmets as soon as he was hidden by the shadows of the alleyway.

"Sir, if I might ask, why exactly are we here?" The stormtrooper with dark neatly cut hair asked.

Before Dillon had a chance to answer, Wedge and Luke both rammed their blasters on the back of the men's heads, quickly knocking them out cold.

Leia laughed, "That was easier than expected."

Serena couldn't hold back a small smile, something finally went right for once.

As Luke and Wedge dragged the stormtrooper away to change into their uniforms, Leia pulled out her comm and tested the connection, "Threepio, can you hear me?"

"Oh yes, Mistress Leia, I can hear you perfectly."

"Good. Be prepared to give us directions. Are the tracers working?"

Before they left, they installed trackers on each of them so Threepio could monitor where they were in the base.

"They most certainly are. I still think this plan is—"

Before Threepio could state his opinion on the matter, Leia disconnected the call, causing Serena to laugh. Artoo let out a nervous whistle.

"We'll be fine, Artoo. This _will_ work." She reassured the little droid, patting his head affectionately.

He whirred, but seemed to accept her reassurances, for the most part.

Not long after, Luke and Wedge appeared, wearing the stormtrooper uniforms.

"You guys ready?" Luke asked, looking just as he did when the group planned their first rescue mission on the Death Star all those months ago.

"As ready as we'll ever be." Serena smiled faintly. They were finally going to get her brother and best friend back.

* * *

><p>The Imperial base was as intimidating as they all imagined. It was a huge tower, easily taller than any other building in the city. Since the city itself was not very large, people had to build up. Serena was nervous about entering such a large place. Dillon knew exactly where the detention level was, so they wouldn't need Threepio, but he admitted to not knowing where to look if Han and Chewie weren't there. Still, they managed to rescue Leia when she was trapped on the Death Star, and that was even bigger.<p>

Dillon led the way. Serena and Leia had been cuffed and a deactivated restraining bolt was placed on Artoo. Behind them were Wedge and Luke, pointing blasters at the two girls to keep up the charade. The group didn't seem to be attracting any attention as they entered the large building.

Once inside, they were all overwhelmed at the amount of people working at the Base. Mainly, they saw stormtroopers coming in and out, but there was the occasional officer present. In fact, one of the officers stopped Dillon. From the insignia upon his uniform, they saw he was a Commander.

"Lieutenant Dral, who are these women?" He questioned, glancing at Serena and Leia with moderate curiosity.

"Rebel scum we discovered while on patrol, sir. I'm here to take them to the detention level."

The Commander glanced down at Artoo, "And the droid?"

"I put a restraining bolt on it, sir. I'm hoping it will have some of the Rebellion's battle plans stored within it."

The commander stared at Dillon for a moment before finally saying, "Very well. Carry on, Lieutenant."

"Thank you, Commander."

Serena and Leia both relaxed significantly when the commander walked away. They were afraid he saw through their ruse. The two girls both remained silent, however, as there were still plenty of stormtroopers surrounding them. Even if they weren't the brightest group of Imperials, they would still notice if something seemed wrong about the group.

As casually as possible, Dillon made his way to the turbolift. Luke and Wedge attempted to mimic the actions of the other stormtroopers, but Luke was still a little short to completely pass for one. Fortunately for the group, no one seemed to question it.

As they entered the lift, she caught a glimpse of the one man she hoped not to see while in the base. There, exiting the turbolift, was her cousin – Thrackan. He seemed angry, scowling at Dillon as he passed him. Thrackan still looked the same as he did back then. He still had the brown hair of the Solo family, and though he had a few new scars adorning his face, he still looked exactly the same. The only noticeable difference was the neatly shaven beard. She quickly ducked her head down, praying that somehow he wouldn't notice her. She knew he would recognize her, and, if he did, their mission would certainly come to a halt. She felt the old fears of him rising once again, remembering how he made her feel when she was young. She attempted to remain neutral though, and kept her head bowed, hoping he wouldn't notice.

Once again, luck seemed to be with the group, as he stormed past them without a word, and shouted at the stormtroopers accompanying him, "If that Rebel doesn't give us answers within the _day_, there will be hell to pay for the both of you." He let the threat linger, as he dismissed the two stormtroopers. She could see he clearly still enjoyed terrifying others.

While Serena was relieved he didn't seem to notice her, she felt the fear flare up again. She knew the Rebel he was talking about had to be Han, she couldn't imagine him being so angry about Xandor. Though she was worried for her brother's safety, she couldn't help but be pleased that he was able to make Thracken so angry.

Once they finally entered the turbolift, Dillon waited until the doors shut before speaking, "That was too close."

Serena nodded, but the others seemed confused, so she explained, "That was Thrackan. If he recognized me, the mission would be over. We got lucky."

Luke seemed very troubled, and didn't seem to be at ease, "I can't help but feel we shouldn't be doing this."

Leia dismissed his concerns, "Luke, we'll be fine. You saw it yourself. Thrackan didn't even notice us. We have nothing to worry about."

"This is just too..._easy_." Wedge said, agreeing with Luke that something didn't seem right.

"Maybe, but it's too late to turn back now." Leia also felt a bit weary after Luke's claim, but knew it would be just as foolish to turn back after they'd already made it so far.

The turbolift was short, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the detention level. It was smaller than Serena imagined, though the more she thought about the more it made sense. The Imperials didn't keep prisoners for long. They interrogated their prisoners until they had the information they needed, and then killed them. The size of the detention level would make it much easier for the Rebels to locate their friends. Even though the detention level was small, they decided it would be best for the group to split up to search for the others faster.

There were four rows of cells, and most of them were unoccupied. She wondered if the detention level was ever close to capacity. With the way Leia described her interrogation on the Death Star, the smuggler doubted most prisoners lasted very long.

"Serena...?"

She quickly glanced at the next cell she approached. Her face broke into a huge smile as she ran towards it, "Han!"

"Hey, sis, took ya long enough." He taunted, but she could see the relief in his eyes. Han looked exhausted, and had a few bruises, but other than that, he seemed alright. She heard a roar from the cell next to his, "_It is good to see you safe._"

"Chewie!" She quickly ran over to the wookiee's cell. She felt tears of joy prickling at her eyes, but easily blinked them back. She'd never been so happy to see someone in her life. Chewbacca seemed just as exhausted as Han, but Serena was relieved to see his shock collar had been removed. She didn't know how they would get the wookiee out of there with that shock collar on.

"Where's the kid?" Han asked, frowning when he didn't see Luke.  
>"He's here with me. We split up to search for you. Leia's here too, and Artoo, and Threepio, and Wedge!" She didn't mention Dillon, because she doubted he would even remember him.<p>

"Why didn't ya tell me that sooner? We gotta get outta here."

Serena nodded, "Don't move, I'll get Artoo."

Han glared at her, "We're not goin' anywhere."

She smirked. She missed Han's attitude. It didn't take long for her to find the others in the small detention level, "Quick! Come quick! I've found them!"

Leia instantly started moving. Serena heard the other's footsteps head in her direction, as she raced back to her brother's cell, "They're coming."

"Good." Han leaned against the wall. Serena watched her brother in concern. She hoped it was just exhaustion, and not his injuries that were weakening him.

Artoo quickly began working on the lock. It didn't take him long to break through. When the cell door opened, Serena launched through and wrapped her arms around Han, glad to have finally rescued him.

He laughed, "Hey, I'm okay, sis. They'd have to do a lot better than that if they wanted to hurt me."

Luke and Leia smiled at the siblings, as Artoo went to work on the lock for Chewie's cell.

"Where's Xandor?" Leia asked, suddenly feeling dread. Serena felt a sharp pang of guilt at forgetting about the Rebel spy.

"Nice to see you too, your Highness," Han smirked, but his smirk fell when he thought about Xandor, "They took him up to Thrackan's office. We're gonna have a hell of a time findin' it."

Luke sighed, "I knew it wasn't going to be that easy." Still, he was glad to see Han and Chewbacca again, "But I'm glad to see you're both alright."

"Me too." Serena agreed, running towards Chewie and hugging the wookiee as well. As selfish as it made her seem, she was happy to just have the two of them. She would be sad if Xandor was gone, but she would be able to move on. Still, she knew they would at least have to attempt to rescue the Rebel spy. He seemed like a good man, and didn't deserve to be left here to rot.

"Threepio, are you there?" Dillon contacted the golden droid.

"I am here, Master Dillon."

He rolled his eyes, "Can you tell me the quickest route to the General's quarters?"

The droid began rambling, causing Dillon to roll his eyes once more. As they spoke, Han glanced at Serena, "Who the hell is that?"

Chewie nodded, wondering the same thing.

She laughed, and continued, "Well, guys, it's a long story..."

* * *

><p><em>Whew, this chapter was long (at least in my opinion lol). I originally intended to end this AU with this chapter, but it was getting way too long, so I'll be continuing it in the next chapter—but at least Serena found Han and Chewie again! I hope you guys enjoyed it. Leave a review if you did(or if you didn't, let me know why!). Thanks for reading, and I'll see you in the next chapter! :)<em>


	18. Thrackan

_Hi guys! This AU should be ending in one or two chapters, and then we'll move on to _The Empire Strikes Back_. Aren't you excited?!_

_As an additional note, I decided to make a__** trailer**__, which can be found here (without the spaces): _ www. youtube watch?v=Rv8mijMjdzg (if it doesn't work, check my profile. The link's there!) :)

_Disclaimer: I still don't own Star Wars, sadly._

**Chapter 18: Thrackan**

* * *

><p>"So, you're tellin' me, that he's an Imperial officer, and you thought it was a great idea to bring him along to help rescue us." Han stated flatly, looking like he disapproved of her decision.<p>

She shuffled her feet—it did sound a little crazy when he put it like that, "Well...yeah."

He glared, "What're you thinking? How do you know he's not callin' Thrackan right now!"

"Do I need to remind you that _you_ were an Imperial once too, Han? Come on—give him a chance!" She whispered angrily, tired of her brother's scolding.

Chewbacca jumped in, sighing, "_We've barely been together for two minutes, and you two are already fighting. We need to work together."_

Instead of feeling ashamed, Serena merely laughed, "You're right, Chewie. It's a habit."

Han rolled his eyes, "Fine, I'll shut up about it, but I'll make sure I'm watchin' him."

"I think Leia has that covered. She was against this plan from the start, but went along with it because we didn't have any other options."

"Huh." Han mused, then his usual smirk returned, "Guess she's smarter than I gave her credit for."

Serena just nodded, not really paying attention. Luke seemed anxious ever since they heard they would have to go rescue Xandor. She was worried about him; he was so confident when they entered. She wondered what could have changed.

As she walked away without responding, Han smirked, "We're just reunited, and you already ditch me for your 'farm boy'." She knew he was just teasing her, but she couldn't keep the blush off her cheeks, and remained silent.

Han's eyes widened, instantly realizing why she hadn't responded, "You mean you're actually...?"

_He's too damn smart sometimes. _She thought bitterly, but answered, "Sort of."

Han laughed, "I knew it! And you were always tellin' me that I was outta my mind—"

Before he could finish speaking, Serena smacked him in the arm, "Han, shut _up_."

He calmed quickly, but she could still tell he was amused, "I'm guessin' nobody else knows yet?"

She shook her head, "No one except for you and Chewie, now."

Chewie growled, "_Well, I approve of your choice of mate._"

Serena's blush returned, and she glared at the wookiee, "Mate? I think it's a little too early to be calling him my 'mate'."

Just as she finished her sentence, Leia approached, "Your mate?"

_As if this couldn't be any more humiliating._ She glanced back, and saw the strange look on Leia's face, before burying her face in her hands.

Han couldn't contain his laughter anymore, causing Leia to look at him with a frown, "What are you talking about?"

"Well, Luke and I are—"

"They're together. I'm surprised you didn't find out, your Highness." Han cut in, knowing his little sister would take awhile to explain it.

Leia glared at the nickname—she hadn't missed hearing that from the cocky smuggler—and returned her attention to Serena, smiling, "Well, I'm happy for you two. I think you're great for each other."

Serena smiled, glad that Leia was at least taking this somewhat seriously, "If you're all done embarrassing me, I think Dillon's almost finished talking to Threepio."

In truth, she hadn't been paying much attention to the Imperial, but she just wanted to distract them so she could get away and find out what was bothering Luke.

She knew running off to Luke would cause Han to harass her even more, but at that moment she didn't mind. She was just worried...plus, it gave her an excuse to get away from him for the time being. As she approached the young Rebel hero, he glanced up and smiled at her, as if expecting her to appear. She returned his smile, with a question in her eyes. He knew what she was asking.

"I know what you're going to ask, and I'm fine."

She looked at him skeptically, "You seemed nervous earlier, but it looks like it's gotten worse."

He sighed, "I wasn't nervous earlier. I knew we'd get Han back—I _sensed_ it," He said, not knowing how to explain it, "but this is different. I feel like this is a bad idea."

"Well, we can't just leave him here. He was the reason we came to this planet." She said, "I mean, it wasn't that difficult to rescue Han and Chewie. Maybe Xandor will be the same."

He still looked doubtful, but before he could finish, Dillon finally managed to get the information he needed from Threepio, and spoke, "Alright, that damn droid finally gave me all the codes. I don't even know if these'll actually work. They're pretty old. Wherever they took your friend, it's got pretty tight security. I don't know if we'll be able to make it the usual way." He looked conflicted as he handed the codes to Leia.

"The usual way?" Han asked, still glaring suspiciously at Dillon.

"I can't just take you up there. I'll be the one to pay for it if we get caught." He ran his hand through his hair nervously, "I don't know if I can go with you."

Leia glared along with Han, "That's convenient, isn't it?"

His eyes widened, "No! I swear, I'm not going to do anything to jeopardize your mission, but I still have to live here when you all leave, you know?" He looked at Serena pleadingly.

She sighed. He helped them, and they owed him, "I believe you, Dill."

"Are you insane? What are we supposed to do now?" Leia's glare turned toward Serena.

Luke shrugged, "You know, we didn't really think this part through. We just rushed in."

Wedge remained silent, content to wait for the others to figure it out.

"Well, it's too late to come up with anything better." Leia said, sounding irritated with herself. Usually she was more careful than this, but every time something happened to Han, she turned into a worried mess—not that the smuggler would ever know about that, "We're gonna have to fight our way out, just like on the Death Star."

Dillon looked pale, "If you're fighting your way out, I can't help you. I can't lose my job, but I can tell you what Threepio told me."

Leia glared at him, but nodded quickly, knowing that there wasn't any other option.

"He told me Xandor was in Thrackan's office, which is on the seventh floor. It's not gonna be easy for you to get there. His office is at the end of the hall. I've never been allowed up there—I don't have the clearance—so you're probably gonna have to break in, or you could try to steal one of the commander's keys. Those codes _might _work on some of the doors, but they definitely won't work on them all."

Serena cut him off, "We don't have to worry about stealing keys or using those old codes. Artoo can hack through any door, right Artoo?"

The astromech whirred happily, confirming Serena's statement.

He sighed, "I wish I could help more, but I'm just not willing to put my job on the line more than I already have. I'm sorry." He glanced at each one of them apologetically, before attempting to walk away.

Leia wasn't about to let him go that easily, "If you leave now, you have to promise me something."

He turned back, looking at her curiously, "What?"

"The Rebel Alliance needs more Imperial spies, and if you're really on our side, you'll do this."

Dillon looked nervous, "Why do you even want my help? I thought you didn't trust me."

"I don't," She said, honestly, "But if we're just letting you go, I want to know we gained something from this."

He considered for awhile. He really wasn't fond of the Empire, but he saw what they did to anyone even suspected of handing out information to the Rebels. Still, he didn't know what they'd need, and doubted that this base would have much information of interest to the Rebellion, so was there really that great of a risk? Were they worth it? He wasn't willing to risk himself,"No. I can't. I'm sorry."

Leia frowned, glaring at him, "Fine." She wanted to stop him from leaving, but she knew if she did that he could bring the whole base down on the group. They would have to trust he wouldn't betray them.

"Well...I've got to go. Don't worry—I won't tell anyone you're here. I'll even make sure the cameras stayed offline." Before they left, he managed to deactivate the few cameras he had access to. As he walked away, he turned back and muttered, "Good luck" before quickly punching the ground level button on the turbo lift and leaving the Rebels to themselves.

"You sure you're okay with him just wandering off?" Serena asked Leia.

"Not really, but like I said, there's no choice."

Chewie roared, "_There is no time to talk about that man. We need to rescue the Twi'lek._"

"Chewie's got a point. We gotta rescue him. It's kinda my fault he's alone with our cousin."

They all looked at Han curiously, so he elaborated, "I kinda let it slip that he's a Rebel spy." He looked like he felt guilty.

Leia rolled her eyes, while Serena and Luke just gave each other knowing glances.

"Alright, Thrackan's office is on the seventh floor." Leia began, ready to finish their mission, "If we're careful, we might be able to make it up a couple of floors without being noticed, but I don't expect us to be able to make it the whole way. That's impossible. Still, if we can move quickly, like we did on the Death Star, the Imperials might be too disoriented to defend themselves, at least for awhile. I'm hoping we're in and out before they get organized, or this'll be a short mission."

"Agreed." Wedge nodded, having remained silent through the whole exchange, "Since Luke and I still have our uniforms, we can hopefully pass you guys off as prisoners for a little while. I doubt it'll last long once we reach the higher levels, but maybe it'll keep some of the stormtroopers off our backs."

"Guess there's only one way to find out." Han smirked, before frowning when he realized he didn't have any weapons, "Do any of you have an extra blaster?"

They shook their heads. They couldn't bring in too much or they would have been caught. Luke and Wedge carried Serena and Leia's weapons, but they weren't able to bring extras.

"You two are gonna have to make do without them." Serena said, "Once we start fighting maybe you'll be able to steal some from the stormtroopers."

Chewie growled, "_I hope so._"

With that, the group entered the turbolift, pressing the button for floor seven. Typically, it wasn't that easy as the turbolift required the right code, and even though Leia tried punching in the codes Dillon gave her, she suspected they wouldn't work, so they had Artoo attempt to hack into the turbolift.

They waited anxiously for a moment, with Artoo quietly working on the lift. But in a brief moment, they felt the lift shift and move up. Serena tensed up, pulling out her blaster, knowing the Imperials wouldn't believe any story with Artoo hacking into their turbolift.

It moved quickly, and the doors thrust open to reveal...her cousin. She frowned, pointing the blaster at the man. He smirked, as if expecting to see this very group, and nodded, "Serena, it's so nice to see you again." Despite his friendly words, she sensed a threat behind them. He was backed up by at least twelve stormtroopers, all pointing weapons at the group.

"I wish I could say the same, Thrackan." She glared, keeping her blaster up. She heard the others do the same, but she knew it wouldn't be enough. They would just have to stall while Artoo continued hacking into the lift.

"You were always so hostile, cousin. It's not very ladylike." He smirked, before the smirk fell to be replaced with an annoyed frown, "You're so predictable. Even though Han insisted on telling me you weren't here, I knew you two would never part willingly. I'm glad to see I was right."

Han glared, "Looks like she was smart enough to break us out."

Thrackan looked annoyed at the interruption," I was preoccupied. You were lucky to even make it that far. Fortunately, Lieutenant Dral is very fickle with his friendships. He moved to the right a bit, to reveal a guilty looking Dillon standing behind him.

Her eyes widened. She truly believed he wanted to help them, "Dill...how could you?"

"I—I was going to help you, but I can't lose my job. The General was waiting for me here. He _knew _already. He told me he'd forgive me if I told him everything." He looked at her pleadingly, "I have to support my father, whether he wants me to or not. Without this job, I can't do that." He refused to look at any of them.

Leia was furious, but kept her mouth shut, knowing if she spoke it would speed up the conversation. She was actually starting to believe he would help them—she'd technically been right, but she shouldn't have been so surprised about Dillon's fickle nature. He agreed to help them readily enough, so why wouldn't he agree to turn on them? She couldn't believe she offered him a position in the Alliance. The Princess swore to never make that mistake again.

Serena couldn't believe he was so honest and sincere with them, only to give away their position. She thought she knew him, but he was just a coward.

Thrackan simply glared at Dillon, "I'm not unreasonable, Lieutenant. You have shown where your loyalty lies. Betray me again, however, and I will not be so leniant." He returned his attention to the Rebels, "I think you should just surrender. You have nowhere to run."

"We'll risk it," Wedge muttered, readying for the fight.

Luke didn't want to risk glancing back at Artoo, but he could hear the little droid busily working on the controls to the lift. They'd just need a little more time.

Fortunately, Thrackan seemed to enjoy taunting them, and was oblivious to the astromech droid so far, "There are twelve stormtroopers behind me, and if that doesn't intimidate you, there are plenty more in this base. You have no chance."

"Funny—I'm still not impressed." Han retorted, finally hearing Artoo stop and quietly whistle they were ready to go.

"What are you—" They heard Thrackan begin to respond before, with barely any warning, the lift doors slammed shut and the lift headed to the seventh floor. They all relaxed significantly.

"Great job, Artoo." Luke said, affectionately patting the droid.

"That was too close." Wedge agreed, lowering his blaster.

"Damn him!" Leia hissed, "I knew we couldn't trust him." She made her statement to Serena.

The girl simply shrugged. She really didn't feel like talking about her friend's betrayal. It stung too deeply. Even though Han could have said the same, he simply attempted to divert the Princess's attention, "Well, it's too late to worry about that. What's important is that we're on our way to the seventh floor. At least Dillon told us where to find Xandor."

Serena looked gratefully at her brother, glad he wasn't going to rub this betrayal in her face. She was tired of messing things up on Corellia.

It didn't take long for the lift to halt and the doors to open. Fortunately, the base hadn't had time to react to the group's appearance. Thrackan obviously thought he would capture them on the lift. His arrogance was giving them time to find Xandor.

They raced down the hall. It was a long hallway, and it didn't take long for a few stormtroopers to notice the group. They began firing.

"Just like on the Death Star." Luke muttered, while dodging the blaster bolts and occasionally returning fire.

Serena laughed nervously, "Good thing their aim hasn't improved."

There wasn't time to talk, because when they finally made it to Thrackan's office. The door was typically locked. Leia didn't feel like trying out the codes Dillon gave her; she didn't even know if they would work on anything, so they had Artoo hack the door again.

There weren't many stormtroopers here yet, but Thrackan knew exactly where they would be and there would no doubt be more coming soon. The way back wouldn't be as easy.

Chewbacca roared with fury, wanting to help but lacking a weapon. He thought about running and taking one of the fallen stormtrooper's blaster, but he doubted he would make it. Han looked equally frustrated, hating that he felt useless.

There wasn't anywhere for the group to take cover, so they made sure to shoot the stormtroopers quickly, before they could properly aim. This combined with their poor aim managed to keep the group free from too much blaster fire. The occasional bolt fired their way was easily dodged.

"Artoo, could you speed it up? We can't hold them off forever!" Leia shouted, noticing an increase in the amount of stormtroopers pursuing them. Thrackan would no doubt show up soon, and then they would be in serious trouble. She knew he would bring more stormtroopers with him.

"He can only work so fast, Leia!" Luke defended the little droid. Just after he finished his statement, the office blast doors opened, "See? He knows what he's doing."

Leia didn't even respond, as everyone was attempting to quickly get behind the doors. Wedge remained in front, covering for the others as they rushed through the door. Once everyone was clear, he quickly turned and rushed behind the doors, just as Artoo shut it and firmly locked it.

"Hopefully, that'll hold 'em for awhile." Han mumbled, glancing around Thrackan's office. It was huge—larger than any of them expected. His office had much of the same shape Dillon's had, except on a much large scale. The Empire rewarded their followers well. He kept everything well organized, with his uniforms on one side, and weapons on the other. Han and Chewbacca raced towards the weapons rack, finding their old weapons among the others. Chewie grabbed his bowcaster and roared happily; it was the last thing he had from his home world, and he cared about the weapon greatly. Han just smiled at seeing his blaster. It had been with him through a lot.

Serena rolled her eyes at the display, but smiled anyway, glad to see they were happy.

"Hello? Who's there?" A pained voice asked, coming from the left side of the office. They weren't able to see whoever spoke, but they all readied their weapons, even though they were pretty sure they knew who the voice belonged to.

"Xandor?" Luke asked, hoping he was correct.

They approached the barrier, seeing a relieved blue Twi'lek. Like Han, he had a few bruises but, otherwise, he seemed alright.

He had a slight limp as he walked to the barrier of his cell, "'Bout time you got here." He said, angrily, "You have no idea what that—that _lunatic_ was going to do to me!"

Leia approached him and indicated that Artoo should start working to unlock the door, "Are you alright?"

Xandor scoffed, "Look at me. Do I _look_ alright?!"

When she looked at him, she agreed the wounds looked painful, but they would heal soon enough. She understood he was afraid, but resisted rolling her eyes at his complaining, "We're getting you out of here. Don't worry."

He frowned, "No offense, but your 'rescue' doesn't really make me feel better." He could hear the stormtroopers working on opening the blast doors. The last time these people tried to help him, he ended up in this base. He wasn't so sure he trusted them, but he really didn't have a choice.

While Artoo was working, Serena contacted Threepio. _ There has to be another way out of here_. She thought, knowing that they weren't going to be able to get out the way they came, "Threepio, are you there?"

"_Oh, Mistress Serena, it is so good to hear you are alright_!"

"Thanks, but we don't really have time to talk. Are there any other ways out of the General's office on the seventh floor?"

The stormtroopers voices got louder, and Serena saw the blast door slide open a little before quickly falling shut. Artoo did a good job, but it wouldn't hold them forever.

"_There are no other—_"

"There has to be something!" She snapped, instantly regretting her outburst. Threepio could be annoying at times, but he didn't deserve that.

"_Well, there may be something you can do, but it's terribly danger—"_

_ "_What is it?"

"_If you look up, you should be able to see venting ducts. You may be able to climb through it to safety, but surely there would be another way out somewhere—"_

She felt bad constantly cutting the golden droid off, but she had no choice, "No! That's perfect! Thanks, Threepio." She said, quickly disconnecting.

Artoo finished opening Xandor's cell awhile ago, and he was being supported by Luke and Wedge, because the limp caused him to move much slower than they were comfortable with.

"Quick—we have to get that vent open!" Serena pointed at the closest one to them. She just hoped Threepio was right about these leading them to safety.

"Isn't there another way?" Xandor groaned.

"If you have any better ideas, I'd be glad to hear them, but as of now, it's the only one we've got." Leia glared. The spy was getting on her nerves, though she understood why he was upset.

"Chewie, can you bring that desk over here so we can reach the vent?"

The wookiee nodded, and easily managed to get the desk under the vent. They would have to jump to make it, but it was possible. Serena wasted no time in shooting the vent, blowing it open. The group was glad to see it was a pretty large vent, big enough to fit Artoo, though only barely. They would have to crawl, but at least the little droid wouldn't be left behind.

Han risked glancing at the door, and his eyes widened at seeing it open wide enough for someone to crawl under, "Quick, we gotta get out of here now!"

Artoo moved toward the door, attempting to buy time and prevent the Imperials from opening the door any further. He couldn't get it to close fully again, but he could keep the bulk of them out while the Rebels climbed to safety.

They sent Xandor up first, because he would be the slowest with his injured leg, and wasn't able to jump up on his own. Hopefully, he would be able to get far enough ahead of them to not slow them down. Just as he disappeared into the vent, Serena heard a familiar voice shouting, "Get out of my way!"

Thrackan had finally arrived.

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><p><em>Well, I'd say that was a pretty long chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it! If you did(or didn't) let me know! :)<em>

_Also, check out the __**trailer**__ and let me know what you think! (The link is at the top of the page.)_


	19. An Ending - For Now

_This is the last chapter of Demands of Fate. Don't worry—the story will continue in the next part: featuring The Empire Strikes Back and some more AU after that movie. I hope you guys enjoyed this story—I'm so glad we broke 100 reviews! That made my day! Thank you so much to everyone who read this story. I wouldn't have the courage to post without you! :)_

_And just a little comment to Miri: I hope you weren't bored with the story. I tried to not copy the script word for word, but I wanted to stay true to the movie. Thanks for checking it out, regardless. :)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, but I do own my story plots and OC('s)._

**Chapter 19: An Ending...For Now**

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><p>"Quick! He's coming! Everyone get up there now!" Leia ordered, pointing to Chewbacca to move next. The wookiee was strong enough to keep his own speed and possibly help Xandor faster, as well.<p>

They all had to help lift Chewbacca up. Despite his strength, he was too heavy to pull himself up on his own. Wedge climbed in next, reassuring them that he would help the wookiee and Xandor get through if they had any trouble.

The voices on the other side grew louder the further the blast doors opened. The doors were still low enough that they wouldn't be able to get everyone through, but only barely.

"Come on, your Worship. You're next!" Han shouted.

"No—I'll stay until I know everyone else is safe. You go!" Leia ordered, knowing that since she was in charge of this mission, she would have to make sure everyone would be safe.

Han rolled his eyes at the Princess' stubborn nature, but knew arguing was pointless and a waste of time. Just as he was about to jump up, they heard the doors move up further. The angry shouts were even louder now, and when they all turned to look in that direction they were immediately greeted by a very angry General and a guilt stricken Lieutenant, followed by a small group of stormtroopers. The others remained behind—probably trying to fix the jammed door.

"I suggest you all drop your weapons." Thrackan glared, hoping to intimidate the Rebels into following his orders. At their hesitation, he raised his voice, "Now!"

"No." Luke responded, wishing he brought that lightsaber with him after all. They decided that, if the prisoners were examined, it would be too suspicious for one to have a lightsaber, so he left it at Dillon's house.

Thrackan's angry gaze moved towards Luke, and Serena flinched at the expression. This was why the man scared her. With this expression, you were able to see how insane the man truly was. It was this expression, however, that made her act, "Don't hurt him!"

Thrackan faced her, his angry face shifting into a smirk. She knew it was a mistake for her to speak up when he pointed his blaster at Luke...and fired.

"No!" They all cried out as the bolt headed in Luke's direction. They were unable to act, and all they could do was watch as the bolt—

Luke saw the blast coming. He didn't know how, but he could sense something terrible was about to happen. As he watched Thrackan's expression change, he knew what was coming, and felt something strengthen him. He moved down—almost faster than anyone could see—just as the bolt sailed past his head.

Thrackan's smirk quickly faded from amusement to confusion. That boy shouldn't have been able to dodge that blast. He knew he left no time for anyone to realize what he was doing until it would be too late for the boy. He had to admit, he was a little curious as to how the boy managed to dodge the blast, but not nearly curious enough. These rebels caused him a lot of trouble, and this latest insult to him was more than he could take. He was no longer in the mood to deal with the Rebels, "Kill them."

Dillon's eyes widened, "Sir? I thought—"

"Lieutenant, I suggest you remember your place."

Dillon looked conflicted once more, but slowly grabbed his blaster and pointed it at Serena. The other stormtroopers each pointed their weapon at the others.

Han wasn't going to sit back and let them hurt his sister. He quickly moved in front of her, protecting her from Dillon's blaster. Serena protested the action, because now Han had no chance of surviving if they Imperials started firing. Luke did the same for Leia, who also didn't appreciate the heroism. However, she was less concerned with Luke and more concerned with something by the door. Luke noticed, and subtly glanced in that same direction. He saw Artoo, who the Imperials completely ignored for the time being, carefully moving away from the door, almost completely silent. Luke had never seen the little droid like this. Artoo seemed to be preparing for something, so Luke turned away, hoping the Imperials weren't paying attention to him, and where he was looking.

Luck was on their side, as Thrackan or any of the other Imperials failed to notice. They would just have to stall a little longer.

Luke thought he might be able to use Dillon's hesitation to his advantage, "You don't have to do this, Dillon."

The Lieutenant looked at Luke fearfully, "Yes, I do. I'm sorry. I don't have a choice."

"You've always had a choice." Leia added, catching on to Luke's plan, "Now you can make the right one."

Thrackan laughed, "Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. Lieutenant, if you are so unsure of where your loyalties lie, just remember what would happen to your father if you betray me again."

Dillon's eyes widened, but he nodded slowly, "That's why I won't."

Luke frantically attempted to think of something else he could say, but Dillon didn't look very hesitant anymore. He was more interested in protecting his father than helping the Rebels. The Lieutenant raised his blaster, ready to fire, when he was interrupted by a loud whistle.

"What—?" Thrackan demanded at the interruption, but that was all he was able to say before chaos ensued.

Artoo took this moment's pause to quickly fly forward, spraying oil in a circle around the Imperials. As he flew, the rockets that kept him in the air also lit the oil on fire, causing it to easily catch and surround the Imperials. They began screaming, quickly running out of the room to save themselves, except for Thrackan who shouted angry orders to make sure the Rebels couldn't escape. He couldn't pass the fire, however, and could only watch as the Rebels reacted to Artoo's distraction with a terrible rage in his eyes. Serena shivered at the glare, but snapped back into action when she heard Leia's voice.

Leia immediately ordered everyone to run to the vent, and the Rebels were glad to obey. The fire was spreading quickly, and they all wanted to escape before it spread in their direction.

Artoo wasted no time in entering the vent, flying up and squeezing through the vent that was just high enough to fit him. They lifted Serena up next, and she flinched at the close space. Even though it was a large vent, it was still small enough to make her uncomfortable. She could only imagine what Chewbacca was feeling, and wondered how far he, Wedge, and Xandor managed to get.

She made her way through the vent, glancing back to see Han right behind her, followed by Luke, and lastly Leia, who stubbornly remained behind until she made sure everyone was safe. Fortunately, the Imperials were more concerned with the fire than the escaping Rebels, and they ignored Thrackan's orders to pursue them.

"At least this is better than a garbage chute, your Highness." Han joked, attempting to lighten the mood.

Leia didn't seem so amused, "Han, we really don't have time for this."

They crawled forward quickly, still nervously glancing behind them every few minutes to make sure they weren't being followed. Serena didn't like that Thrackan was still going to be around, but knew it was better to just keep running and hope he wouldn't find them before they escaped.

Chewbacca, Wedge, and Xandor moved surprisingly quickly, even though Xandor was injured and Chewbacca had to carefully move to make sure he didn't get stuck in the small vent. It took the group longer than they expected to find the two. Wedge must have been pretty good at helping the two squeeze through the vent.

When Serena finally crawled up behind Wedge, Chewbacca heard her approach and roared, "_Where were you_?" He seemed worried.

"Thrackan caught up with us. Don't worry—I don't think he'll be followin' us this way." Han reassured the wookiee.

Chewbacca looked like he wanted to say more, but knew now was not the best time.

Wedge smiled, "I'm glad you're all alright. We were getting worried."

"We're fine for now." Serena nodded, "I don't think they'll be coming after us for awhile."

"Good. Maybe we can get out of here, then." Wedge said, looking exhausted. Serena glanced at him in concern, but he just shook his head. He was just tired, and a few hours of rest would be enough to help him recover.

Xandor ignored them all, continuing to crawl forward at a slow but steady pace. He looked like he was in pain.

"Xandor, are you alright?" Serena asked, watching him wince each time he moved his leg.

"Yeah. I'm fine." He said, too quickly. Still, there wasn't much they could do, and they couldn't afford to rest, so they would have to let him continue to crawl.

He didn't seem worried about his leg at the moment anyway, which made her feel a little less guilty about letting him continue to move it. Surprisingly, it was quiet. After the commotion they caused at entering the base, the group was surprised their escape caused little concern among the Imperials. The fire Artoo started did its job well.

Serena was sure that Threepio was panicking back at Dillon's house. She cringed at the thought of having to return there. Surely the Imperials would expect them to return. Still, they left a lot of their belongings there and would have to get Threepio back, as well. Maybe they would be able to get to the house before the Imperials could regroup.

The group crawled through the vents as quietly as possible, avoiding alerting any Imperials below them of their whereabouts until they made it to a vent that seemed to drop at an angle, like a slide.

"I wonder where this goes." Xandor muttered, as no one else had seen the drop yet.

"What are you talking about?" Luke asked. He wasn't able to see that far ahead.

"There's a drop here. We might be able to slide down." The Rebel spy explained, ready to drop down.

"Wait!" Leia hissed, "We don't even know where that'll take us. Maybe we should contact Threepio."

"We have to get out of here now! We don't have time to come up with another plan." He dropped his voice to a faint whisper, so that only he could hear, "None of yours seem to go well anyway."

Leia ignored him, and pulled out her comm unit, "Threepio?" She whispered.

All they heard was static.

Xandor snorted, "Are you really surprised they blocked communications? They might not be chasing us, but they definitely want to make sure we have a tough time escaping."

Han spoke up, "This isn't any different from what you made us do on the Death Star, Princess."

Chewbacca roared, "_He has a point._"The wookiee then moved closer to the vent, and paused to sniff it, "_It smells even worse than the last one._"

"See? It probably leads to another garbage chute...and maybe an exit." Serena said, not looking forward to dropping in garbage once more.

"Don't you remember what happened the last time we dropped into a garbage chute? We almost got crushed, and Luke was almost eaten! Do we really want to push our luck here?" Leia attempted to reason with the group.

Luke stopped the argument, "Leia, I understand why you're worried. I don't really trust that drop either, but do we have a choice? There's nowhere else for us to go, besides back to Thrackan."

There was a long silence, until finally Leia relented, "Fine. Let's just go. The quicker we get out of here, the better."

Xandor wasted no time in moving, dropping down the vent until they couldn't see him anymore. Chewbacca moved up to it next, sniffing it disdainfully. Serena rolled her eyes, but Chewie finally dropped down as well. Wedge glanced down, a little hesitant. He was a pilot, and preferred flying rather than falling. Still, he didn't have much of a choice, and eventually slid down to follow the others. Artoo didn't hesitate, and activated his rockets and gently flew down the chute. Serena was jealous of the little droid at that moment. She wished she could just fly down.

She glanced down the chute nervously. She couldn't smell anything, but wookiees had a better sense of smell than humans. The smuggler just hoped this was the right way for them to go. She closed her eyes and dropped, sliding rapidly down the chute until she dropped directly on...a pile of garbage.

"This brings back memories." She muttered as she wrinkled her nose in disgust. She could smell the garbage now, and Chewie was right; it smelled even worse than the other garbage chute. However, this was different than when they were on the Death Star. The garbage didn't get dropped off in a closed off room, because it was dropped off directly in the center of the Skids. She smiled at the thought, relieved they wouldn't have to deactivate any garbage mashers, or deal with anything living in the garbage this time.

Han slid down next, almost landing on top of Serena and knocking a bit of garbage in her direction. She managed to dodge the worst of it, but some of it managed to hit her clothes, making her already dirty outfit even more disgusting.

"Smells even worse than the last one." Han muttered, wiping off as much garbage as he could.

"Tell me about it." She agreed, breathing out of her mouth so she wouldn't have to smell it anymore.

Chewie roared in agreement, climbing down the pile of garbage in an attempt to get away from the horrible smell. He was carrying an irritated looking Xandor, who was mumbling something about 'already being embarrassed enough', and was followed by a disgruntled looking Wedge, who managed to stay relatively clean.

Just as Xandor finished his grumbling, Luke landed on top of the pile, grunting as he landed. He, like the others, looked at the garbage with disgust, but seemed happy they weren't going to be trapped in another room. Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to react because Leia didn't wait as long as the others, and landed on top of Luke before he was able to move. The Princess immediately apologized, and helped the farm boy up, and they made their way down the pile of garbage together.

Serena couldn't hold back her smile. They did it. They escaped the Imperial Base, and everyone was alright...well except for Xandor, but that wasn't permanent damage. His leg might be broken, but that could be healed. Han saw her smile and seemed relieved as well, as did the others.

Still, their relief was short-lived, as they still had to return to Dillon's home to recover their belongings. She wondered if they would be walking right into a trap, or if Leia would decide against returning. Serena knew Luke wouldn't be happy to hear that. He would want to get Threepio and his lightsaber back, at least.

"Leia, are we heading back to Dillon's house?" Serena said, her smile slowly fading.

Everyone looked at Leia, who nodded slowly, "We need to get our supplies and Threepio back. We just have to be careful."

"Wait a minute." Xandor protested, still being held up by the wookiee, "We can't afford to get your precious droid back. We've got to go."

"Listen, Xandor." Leia glared, fed up with Xandor's attitude, "I'm tired of your complaining. If you don't want to come with us, then good luck getting off this planet on your own. We did what we were supposed to do—rescue you, so now we don't owe you anything. If you want to stay here and rot, be my guest."

The Rebel spy stared open-mouthed at Leia. He clearly didn't expect her to snap at him. Serena had to admit, she knew it would only be a matter of time, and she was glad when Leia finally did. Xandor was irritating them with his complaining.

He finally reacted, "I—I wasn't. I didn't—"

"Good, then it's settled. You're coming with us."

The Twi'lek just sighed and nodded reluctantly. They were his best chance of getting off of Corellia.

"We've got to rent a cab. It'll get us there a lot faster." Luke said as they all frowned at the thought of walking the whole way there.

"We'll need to move fast if we wanna get outta here before they start lookin'." Han agreed. He recognized where they were and knew where to find the larger cabs.

"Well, let's go then."

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><p>The cab was easily found. There were hundreds of them all around the city. The only problem was that the driver was making them pay extra for the smell. Serena frowned when she realized how terrible they must look, and wasn't looking forward to washing her clothes when they returned to the base. Even after agreeing to take them, the cab driver wasn't happy about the wookiee and the droid, because even though the cab was pretty large, it was a tight fit to get them all inside.<p>

The ride to the base was silent, which the group appreciated. They experienced too much excitement over the past few days. Serena wished she had appreciated the slowness of the Rebel Base a little more, because she couldn't handle any more excitement for a long while.

The cab driver dropped them off in front of Dillon's house quickly, grumbling about the terrible smell they left in his cab before driving away.

Leia shook her head, "Let's just get Threepio and our things, and get out of here."

They crept up to the house, carefully scanning the outside for any signs of Imperials. It didn't look like anyone returned here, but they all readied their blasters as Artoo unlocked the door for them. Wedge went in first, carefully scanning the room before letting everyone know that he didn't see anyone.

They moved forward, quickly heading to Dillon's room to pick up their things. Serena saw Luke's face light up at finding his lightsaber. She didn't understand why he was so attached to the weapon, but she had to admit, it was impressive, and powerful. It didn't take long for the others to gather everything else together, since they didn't bring much with them.

They made their way to Dillon's office, hoping to quickly grab Threepio and get out before any Imperials showed up. Serena hoped Threepio was alright, and that the Imperials didn't get here first. Even though the droid could be quite irritating, she knew she would miss him if something happened to him. Even Han would, despite his complaints about the golden droid.

Luke took the lead from Wedge, carefully opening the doors. As soon as he did, he could hear Threepio chatting away with someone else. The group tensed, knowing the other person in the room had to be an Imperial.

"It sounds like there's only one in there. Should we just go for it?" Wedge asked, ready for whatever the group decided would be best.

"I say we just leave before he notices us." Xandor said, nervously looking forward, while leaning on Chewbacca to support his wounded leg.

"We can take him. He's only one man." Leia said, and the others agreed.

Carefully and quietly moving forward, the Rebels snuck through the room, relieved to see the Imperial's back was turned toward them. They pointed their weapons at the man, and Han spoke, "Don't move or we'll shoot."

The man turned back, and they all froze when they saw his face. Serena knew she should have expected Dillon to be here, but she truly thought he would be busy at the base, attempting to control the chaos. She was also surprised that he came here alone, instead of with a patrol of stormtroopers. The smuggler didn't know how she felt about her old friend anymore, and she didn't lower her blaster at all.

Dillon sighed, "I knew you'd come here."

Threepio, seemingly oblivious to the hostility, greeted the Rebles, "Oh, hello. Master Dillon and I were discussing—" He was cut off by Wedge.

"Did you? So where's the rest of the Imperials? Waiting for your signal?" Wedge glared at Dillon suspiciously. He didn't like the man.

"No!" Dillon's eyes widened, "Please, you have to believe me—"

"Because that went so well last time." Serena hissed, not for a moment believing him.

"I swear, no one is with me." His shoulders sagged, "I came here to fix this."

"Fix what?" Threepio asked, glancing from one person to the next.

"We'll tell you later, Threepio." Luke answered, more interested in what Dillon was going to say next, "Why should we believe you this time?"

"I'm not going to go with you. I won't even move from this spot. I just wanted to apologize, and make sure you got away. You have to understand—"

Serena glared, "I don't care why you did it. You put all of us in danger. Maybe I can understand, but I don't think I can forgive you."

"I understand." He said quietly, "Take your droid and get out of here. I made sure there wouldn't be any Imperials in this area for at least another hour. If you want, you can take one of my airspeeders. I won't put up a fight—I just wanted you to know that I regret what I did, and I wanted to make amends."

"Forgive me if I don't believe you." Leia spat. Dillon didn't disagree. He just stood there, waiting.

"_We should at least stun him so he can't do anything. We'd be fools to trust him again_." Chewie roared.

"Agreed." Han nodded, setting his blaster to stun.

Dillon nodded, understanding why they didn't trust him. He couldn't blame them; he was disgusted with himself, but he had no choice. He needed to support his father, and if that meant betraying them again, he would do it again. He wouldn't be happy about it, but he didn't have a choice.

The Imperial was stunned without a word of complaint or any attempt to fight back.

Threepio was panicking, "Why would you do that to Master Dillon? He's been nothing but kind to us."

Serena glanced at the unconscious man on the floor. She frowned, feeling tears flooding her eyes, but wiped them away before anyone could notice, "He betrayed us, Threepio."

The golden droid was shocked, and mercifully silent. There wasn't much left for them to do. They all exited the office, none of them looking back at the Imperial, except for Serena, who paused briefly to glance sadly at her old friend. Luke noticed her hesitation, and grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently for support. She smiled at him, and squeezed back, following the others out the door.

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><p>They stole one of Dillon's airspeeders, anxious to get away. True to his word, it seemed that Dillon managed to get rid of the Imperials guarding the <em>Millennium Falcon<em>. Han smiled at seeing his precious ship again as they entered.

"It's good to see her again." The smuggler sighed, carefully glancing around the ship to ensure everything was as he left it. When he was satisfied, he relaxed.

"Yeah, definitely." Serena nodded, so relieved to finally be somewhere familiar that she dropped into one of the passenger seats, forgetting for a moment how grimy she was from the fight and landing in garbage.

Leia nodded, "If you don't mind, I'm heading to the refresher to get this grime off. I can't stand it any longer." She quickly rushed over to the refresher. Serena then remembered just how terrible she must look and smell and groaned at the fact that she hadn't jumped at the opportunity. Now, she would have to wait until Leia was finished.

Luke laughed, "You should've moved faster."

She smiled back, "I guess so."

"Come on, Chewie. I wanna get us off this rock as soon as possible." Han muttered, and headed to the cockpit, followed by Chewbacca, and a limping Xandor. Wedge also followed after a moment's hesitation, wanting to see if the arrogant smuggler was actually as good a pilot as he claimed to be.

Serena and Luke were left alone. They were exhausted, and filthy, but they were alive and safe, and, for the moment, that was all that mattered. Luke sat down next to her, and she leaned on his shoulder, glad to be able to finally do so without worrying about her brother, or if they would make it off of the planet alive. She was happy just being with her farm boy, resting on the _Falcon_.

"What if Thrackan comes after us?" Luke asked after a long, but comfortable silence.

"I don't think he will. We're not that important to him. Sure, he'll be mad for awhile, but he'll get over it."

Luke laughed at her response, glad she was regaining some of her former attitude. It was one of the things he liked the most about her, "I guess we're finally heading back to the base."

She sighed, staring out of one of the windows on the _Falcon_. They were finally in space; the stars were moving by slowly, indicating that Han was about to head into lightspeed. As she braced herself for the movement, she smiled. Just as the _Falcon_ entered lightspeed, she answered, "Yeah. I guess we are."

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><p><em><strong>The End<strong>_**_ (of Part 1!)_**

_Thank you all so much for reading this chapter. It made me a little sad to write this chapter, but I know there will be more later, so there's really no reason to be sad! :P I'll miss writing this AU, but I'm excited for the Empire Strikes Back, which will be in the sequel titled "__**Destiny's Pawn**__." I'll probably be putting that story up on Saturday (but no promises! I might not have time.), and I'll let you all know with a sneak peak 'chapter' when it comes out so you all don't miss it!_

_Again, thanks so much to everyone who stuck with this story, especially l__, whose reviews inspired me to write even when I had no motivation.:)_

_I'll see you all in the next part! Thanks for reading! :)_


	20. Preview for Sequel!

_Hey guys! I just wanted to let you all know that the first chapter of Destiny's Pawn is finally up! I'm so sorry for the delay! Regardless, I hope you enjoy, and thank you all so much for reading! :) If you don't want to read this small section, you can just check out the story! This is all included in there :)_

**Preview for 'Destiny's Pawn'**

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><p>Three years.<p>

It had been three years since they escaped Corellia. Three years since Dillon betrayed them, and three years since they returned to the Alliance.

A lot had happened in the few months after they returned to the base. After their injuries were treated, Mon Mothma personally congratulated them on their heroism. She informed them that, despite his complaining after they rescued him, Xandor personally commended their actions on Corellia. Serena knew he still didn't like them, because ever since their rescue she'd only caught glimpses of in the past three years, but she was thankful for what he did for them when they returned.

In addition to Xandor, Leia also supported the group, claiming no one else could have done better. The Princess made a compelling argument to Mon Mothma, who couldn't deny the success of the mission, despite some of the mistakes made. The others just stood there while Mothma seemed to be considering something, still exhausted from their adventure, despite the time they had to rest and recuperate. After noticing this, Leia immediately insisted that they all get some rest, to which Mon Mothma agreed.

After approximately a month, Mon Mothma decided to thank each of them formally in front of the entire Rebellion. The ceremony was very similar to the one after they destroyed the Death Star. Each of the Rebellion's leaders seemed very impressed—so impressed that each one of them was offered a promotion, aside from Leia who was already a prominent figure in the Alliance.

Luke was offered the position of Commander. Everyone knew he deserved it, and cheered loudly as he declared he would accept the honor. He deserved it even before he went on the mission for his rescue of Leia for destroying the Death Star and saving the Alliance. If that wasn't enough of a reason to give him the promotion, he was also brave, and strong, and easily inspired loyalty. Serena remembered how happy he was when he accepted the position as Commander Skywalker, and how proud he was to have a greater impact on the war with the Empire.

Han was made a Captain in the Alliance, which he accepted somewhat reluctantly. He was reluctant to remain with the Rebels ever since Serena told him about their run-in with the bounty hunter Bossk on Corellia. Despite his callous nature, he truly did care about what happened to his sister, Chewbacca, and the others. Serena knew he didn't want to put anyone in danger, despite his claims that he just "wanted to pay Jabba back". She knew he worried about what Jabba would do to them if he wasn't careful, but she figured even the Hutt wouldn't be stupid enough to send a bounty hunter in the Rebel base, if the Hutt even knew where they were. However, in spite of his many attempts to leave, Leia always gave him a reason to stick around a little longer, and Serena doubted he ever would try to leave.

Chewbacca, on the other hand, immediately declined any promotion. He was required by his life-debt to protect Han, and taking a position in the Alliance would distract him from that obligation. Han rolled his eyes at his friend's decision, grumbling that 'he could take care of himself'. Chewbacca just brushed off Han's concern, and remained at his best friend's side.

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><p><em>If you want to see more, just check out the story! It's on my profile now! :) <em>


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